discriminate

discriminate — 動詞

1. to treat someone unfairly by giving them fewer opportunities, less respect, or p

1.動詞不及物B2
釋義

歧視

因種族、性別等而差別對待

to treat someone unfairly by giving them fewer opportunities, less respect, or poorer service than others, because of a characteristic such as their race, gender, age, religion, or disability, rather than judging them as an individual

例句

The company discriminated against older workers by passing them over for promotions and bonuses.

該公司歧視年長員工，在升遷和發放獎金時跳過他們。

pattern: discriminate against + [group] + by doing something

Some landlords still discriminate against families with children despite laws against it.

儘管法律禁止，有些房東仍然歧視有小孩的家庭。

同義詞
  • single out

    implies being treated differently from others, which may or may not be negative; 'discriminate' always carries a negative judgment

  • victimize

    stronger and more personal — suggests active harm, while 'discriminate' can describe impersonal systems or policies

  • show bias against

    less direct and more euphemistic; 'discriminate' names the action plainly

反義詞
  • treat equally

    phrasal; the direct opposite of treating someone worse due to a group characteristic

文法句型

discriminate against + person/group

discriminate on the basis of + characteristic

discriminate on grounds of + characteristic

用法筆記

Typically paired with the preposition 'against' to name the affected person or group. Most common in legal, workplace, and social-justice contexts. This sense always carries a negative judgment — it is not used for neutral or positive differentiation.

常見錯誤

❌The manager discriminated good work from bad work.
✅The manager distinguished good work from bad work.
💡In this sense, 'discriminate' always means unfair treatment; use 'distinguish' for noticing differences.
❌They discriminated women by paying them less.
✅They discriminated against women by paying them less.
💡'Discriminate' in this sense is intransitive and always needs 'against' before the affected group.

2. to notice or recognize the ways in which two or more things, people, or ideas ar

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

區分；辨別

看出兩者之間的差異

to notice or recognize the ways in which two or more things, people, or ideas are not the same — for example, telling apart two similar colors, sounds, or flavors

例句

Babies can discriminate between different sounds from a very early age.

嬰兒從很小的時候就能區分不同的聲音。

pattern: discriminate between [categories]

Researchers taught the monkeys to discriminate between different shapes on a screen.

研究人員教導猴子區分螢幕上不同形狀的圖案。

同義詞
  • distinguish

    more common in everyday use; 'discriminate' in this sense sounds more formal or technical

  • differentiate

    very similar in meaning but appears more often in scientific or analytical writing

  • tell apart

    the informal phrasal alternative; natural in conversation

反義詞
  • confuse

    to fail to see the difference between two things

文法句型

discriminate between + two items

discriminate among + three or more items

discriminate + direct object

用法筆記

Often takes 'between' when naming two specific items, or 'among' for three or more. Can also be used transitively with a direct object ('discriminate subtle differences'). In everyday conversation, 'tell apart' or 'distinguish' is more natural — this sense belongs mainly in formal, academic, or technical writing.

常見錯誤

❌I find it hard to discriminate against the twins.
✅I find it hard to tell the twins apart.
💡'Discriminate against' always means unfair treatment; use 'tell apart' or 'distinguish' for perceiving differences between people.