discrimination

discrimination — noun

1. the practice of giving worse treatment to people because they belong to a partic

1.名詞B1
釋義

the practice of giving worse treatment to people because they belong to a particular group defined by a personal attribute such as ethnicity, sex, years of age, faith, or sexual identity, instead of judging them as individuals

例句

Sumin filed a complaint after she was passed over for promotion because of her gender.

discrimination against — gender as the basis

The new law makes it illegal to practise discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation.

discrimination based on + protected characteristic

同義詞
  • prejudice

    focuses on the prejudging attitude or bias rather than the act of treating unfairly

  • bias

    can describe a more subtle or unconscious inclination, not necessarily resulting in action

  • inequality

    broader term covering any unfair difference in treatment or opportunity, not always intentional

反義詞
  • fairness

    the quality of treating people equally regardless of personal characteristics

  • equality

    the state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities

文法句型

discrimination + against + group

discrimination + based on + characteristic

discrimination + in favour of + group

用法筆記

This sense carries serious social and legal weight. In many countries, discrimination on certain grounds is prohibited by law. When writing or speaking, specify the basis (racial, gender, age, etc.) to make the meaning clear and to avoid sweeping generalisations. Common legal compounds include 'racial discrimination', 'sex discrimination', 'age discrimination', and 'disability discrimination'.

常見錯誤

❌The company has a policy against discriminate.
✅The company has a policy against discrimination.
💡'discrimination' is a noun; 'discriminate' is the verb form.
❌She experienced discrimination only based on her age.
✅She experienced discrimination based on her age.
💡'only' before 'based on' creates an unnatural word order in this context.

2. the ability to notice, recognise, or tell apart the differences between two or m

2.名詞B2
釋義

the ability to notice, recognise, or tell apart the differences between two or more things, people, or stimuli

例句

Babies develop the ability for visual discrimination within the first few months of life.

visual discrimination — perception of differences by sight

The wine taster's fine discrimination between two similar vintages impressed the judges.

fine discrimination between + similar items

同義詞
  • differentiation

    more formal and technical; often used in biology and statistics

  • distinction

    emphasises the recognised difference itself rather than the ability to see it

文法句型

discrimination + between + plural noun

visual discrimination

pattern discrimination

用法筆記

Often used with the preposition 'between' to specify the items being compared. This sense is neutral and technical — it carries none of the social or legal weight of sense 1. Common in psychology, biology, and design contexts.

常見錯誤

❌She has a good discrimination between colors.
✅She has good colour discrimination.' or 'She can tell colors apart well.
💡'discrimination' in this sense is uncountable and sounds more natural with a modifier before it ('colour discrimination', 'pattern discrimination').

3. a refined capacity for recognising excellence, appropriateness, or high quality;

3.名詞C1
釋義

a refined capacity for recognising excellence, appropriateness, or high quality; good taste or discernment, especially in art, literature, design, or similar fields

例句

Liam showed great discrimination when selecting paintings for the gallery's main exhibition.

great discrimination — positive judgment of quality

A curator must have the discrimination to tell a genuine antique from a clever copy.

discrimination to + infinitive — ability to judge

同義詞
  • discernment

    more formal and spiritual in tone; often tied to moral or aesthetic insight

  • taste

    everyday word for personal preference and quality judgment, less analytical than 'discrimination'

反義詞
  • indiscrimination

    lack of selectivity or judgment; much rarer than 'discrimination'

文法句型

great/fine/artistic discrimination

discrimination + in + field

discrimination + to + infinitive

用法筆記

This sense implies a positive quality — having well-developed taste or judgment. It is very commonly paired with modifiers such as 'great', 'fine', 'artistic', 'cultural', or 'aesthetic'. Without such a modifier, readers may default to the 'unfair treatment' sense (sense 1), so the context must be clear.

常見錯誤

❌She showed discrimination when buying clothes.
✅She showed great discrimination in choosing clothes.
💡Without a modifier like 'great' or 'fine', this sentence would be read as sense 1 (unfair treatment), which would be confusing and inappropriate.
❌His discrimination of wines is excellent.
✅His discrimination in wines is excellent.
💡Use 'in' rather than 'of' when specifying the field of judgment.