Library / English Dictionary

DISCRIMINATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice

Synonyms:

discrimination; favoritism; favouritism

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("discrimination" is a kind of...):

social control (control exerted (actively or passively) by group action)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "discrimination"):

able-bodiedism; able-bodism; ableism; ablism (discrimination in favor of the able-bodied)

ageism; agism (discrimination on the basis of a person's age)

cronyism (favoritism shown to friends and associates (as by appointing them to positions without regard for their qualifications))

fatism; fattism (discrimination against people who are overweight)

heterosexism (discrimination in favor of heterosexual and against homosexual people)

nepotism (favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs))

racial discrimination; racialism; racism (discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race)

sexism (discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of the opposite sex)

Derivation:

discriminate (treat differently on the basis of sex or race)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The cognitive process whereby two or more stimuli are distinguished

Synonyms:

discrimination; secernment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("discrimination" is a kind of...):

basic cognitive process (cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "discrimination"):

differentiation; distinction (a discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes)

individualisation; individualization; individuation (discriminating the individual from the generic group or species)

appreciation; discernment; perceptiveness; taste (delicate discrimination (especially of aesthetic values))

Derivation:

discriminate (recognize or perceive the difference)

discriminate (distinguish)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Had they been only ten minutes sooner, they should have been beyond the reach of his discrimination; for it was plain that he was that moment arrived—that moment alighted from his horse or his carriage.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

And you must develop discrimination.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Because he believes many people pretend to more admiration of the beauties of nature than they really feel, and is disgusted with such pretensions, he affects greater indifference and less discrimination in viewing them himself than he possesses.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)