discriminate
v.v. to treat someone unfairly because of their race, age, gender, or other personal traits. You use this when someone is judged by a label instead of their actual character.
v. to treat a person or group less favourably than others in similar situations, typically based on race, gender, age, or disability. Transitive; often followed by 'against' or 'on the grounds of'.
The company was accused of discriminating against older workers.
She felt the hiring manager was discriminating against her because of her accent.
The new legislation aims to eliminate systemic discrimination in housing by enforcing stricter penalties for landlords who reject applicants based on protected characteristics.
First attested in 1615; borrowed from Latin discrīminātus, perfect passive participle of discrīminō (“to divide, separate, distinguish”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from discrīmen (“a space between, division, separation, distinction”), from discernō (“to divide, separate, distinguish, discern”).
The verb is transitive. It is commonly used with the preposition 'against' (discriminate against someone) or the phrase 'on the grounds of'.
discriminate on someonediscriminate against someoneThe verb pairs with 'against', not 'on'. Use 'on' only in the phrase 'on the grounds of'.