indiscriminate
indiscriminate — adjective
- indiscriminatepositive
- more indiscriminatecomparative
- most indiscriminatesuperlative
1. done or acting without any careful thought or judgement, so that a situation aff
done or acting without any careful thought or judgement, so that a situation affects a wide range of people or things, often including those who were not the intended target.
The bomb caused indiscriminate destruction across the entire market, killing both shoppers and vendors.
attributive: indiscriminate destruction
Yara criticized the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in clinics, warning of resistant bacteria.
collocation: indiscriminate use of [something]
Hugo felt the new policy was too indiscriminate — it punished good students and troublemakers alike.
The charity's indiscriminate food distribution meant some families received far more than needed.
Lara complained about the indiscriminate noise from the construction site all night.
- random
More neutral than indiscriminate; emphasises lack of pattern rather than lack of care. 'Random checks' is neutral, while 'indiscriminate checks' suggests unfairness.
- haphazard
Focuses on disorganisation or lack of planning rather than harm; slightly less formal. 'Haphazard planning' suggests messiness, not moral carelessness.
- wholesale
Describes large-scale application without exceptions. Used more informally, e.g. 'wholesale rejection of the proposal' — it emphasises scope, not the absence of judgement.
- arbitrary
Emphasises personal whim or unfairness over logic. 'An arbitrary decision' suggests the decider had no good reason at all.
- selective
The direct opposite — choosing carefully with a clear purpose. 'Selective enforcement' means rules are applied to the right targets.
- discriminating
Suggests refined, sophisticated judgement. 'A discriminating palate' means someone can taste fine differences.
- targeted
Emphasises precise focus on a specific goal. 'Targeted aid' goes to the people who need it most.
文法句型
indiscriminate + noun (attributive)
be + indiscriminate (predicative)
用法筆記
Most common before a noun describing an action or event (e.g. violence, use, distribution, firing). When used predicatively (e.g. the policy was indiscriminate), it suggests that the action lacks the necessary focus or targeting.