TOP

Definition of discrimination noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

discrimination

noun
 
/dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn/
 
/dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn/
jump to other results
  1. [uncountable] the practice of treating somebody or a particular group in society less fairly than others
    • age/racial/gender/sex discrimination (= because of somebody’s age, race, gender or sex)
    • discrimination against somebody discrimination against the elderly
    • discrimination in favour of somebody discrimination in favour of the young
    • discrimination by somebody They alleged discrimination by the authorities.
    • discrimination on the basis of something to prohibit/outlaw/ban discrimination on the basis of race, gender or sexual orientation
    • discrimination on the grounds of something legislation to ban discrimination on the grounds of age
    Collocations RaceRaceRace and society
    • fight for/​struggle for/​promote racial equality/​civil rights/​equal rights
    • outlaw/​end discrimination/​segregation
    • promote/​embrace/​celebrate/​champion diversity/​multiculturalism
    • attack/​criticize/​oppose/​reject multiculturalism
    • bridge/​break down/​transcend cultural/​racial barriers
    • practise/​promote (racial/​religious) tolerance/​integration
    • exacerbate/​widen/​perpetuate/​reinforce (racial/​socio-economic) inequality
    • conform to/​challenge/​violate (accepted/​established/​prevailing/​dominant) social/​cultural norms
    Prejudice and racism
    • experience/​encounter racism/​discrimination/​prejudice/​anti-Semitism/​Islamophobia
    • face/​suffer persecution/​discrimination
    • fear/​escape from/​flee (racial/​political/​religious) persecution
    • denounce/​condemn racism/​hate/​anti-Semitism/​Islamophobia
    • challenge/​confront racism/​discrimination/​prejudice
    • combat/​dismantle/​eradicate/​fight (blatant/​overt/​covert/​subtle/​institutional/​systemic) racism
    • perpetuate/​defy (common/​popular/​traditional/​negative) stereotypes
    • entrench/​perpetuate racism/​racist attitudes
    • reflect/​reveal/​show/​have a racial/​cultural bias
    • constitute/​be a form of racial/​race discrimination
    • discriminate/​be prejudiced/​be biased against minority groups/​minorities/​people of colour
    see also positive discrimination, reverse discrimination
    Extra Examples
    • They examined racial discrimination in the workplace.
    • Levels of discrimination against recent immigrants are high.
    • Many disabled people face discrimination at work.
    • Overt sex or race discrimination is illegal.
    • Racist remarks by an employer to an employee can amount to unlawful discrimination.
    • The charity is campaigning to end mental health discrimination.
    • The discrimination occurred at the shortlisting stage, not the interviews.
    • The law now prohibits racial and ethnic discrimination.
    • There is widespread discrimination against travelling communities.
    • discrimination based on sexuality
    • evidence of discrimination against black workers
    • lawsuits alleging discrimination
    • the federal government's employment discrimination laws
    • Jews suffered many forms of discrimination in medieval Europe.
    • Most minority groups in this country have experienced some form of discrimination.
    • Our policy forbids discrimination on the grounds of a person's race, gender or sexuality.
    • There are plans to introduce a new law dealing with religious discrimination.
    • This is blatant discrimination against people with disabilities.
    • With the current job situation, age discrimination in employment is becoming more common.
    • Yesterday the club was cleared of racial discrimination against one of its members.
    • Members of the LGBTQ community are alleging discrimination because of their sexual orientation.
    Topics Social issuesc1, Working lifec1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • gender
    • sex
    • sexual
    … of discrimination
    • level
    verb + discrimination
    • amount to
    • constitute
    • encounter
    discrimination + verb
    • occur
    • exist
    preposition
    • discrimination against
    • discrimination by
    • discrimination in favour/​favor of
    phrases
    • an act of discrimination
    • discrimination based on something
    • evidence of discrimination
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] (approving) the ability to judge what is good, true, etc. synonym discernment
    • He showed great discrimination in his choice of friends.
    Extra Examples
    • You need to use your discrimination when assessing the various approaches on offer.
    • The president has been criticized for his lack of discrimination in his choice of political allies.
    • She showed great discrimination in rejecting the poor-quality teas.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • fine
    • great
    • colour/​color
    verb + discrimination
    • make
    • show
    preposition
    • discrimination between
    See full entry
  3. (formal) [uncountable, countable] the ability to recognize a difference between one thing and another; a difference that is recognized
    • to learn discrimination between right and wrong
    • Young children find it difficult to make fine discriminations.
    • It takes a lot of experience to make such fine discriminations.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • fine
    • great
    • colour/​color
    verb + discrimination
    • make
    • show
    preposition
    • discrimination between
    See full entry
See discrimination in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee discrimination in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
elaborate
adjective
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
C1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day