discriminatory
/dɪˈskrɪmɪnətəri/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈskrɪmɪnətɔːri/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈskri-mə-nə-ˌtȯr-ē -ˈskrim-nə-/ (ame, mw)
discriminatory — adjective
- discriminatorypositive
- more discriminatorycomparative
- most discriminatorysuperlative
1. describing rules, actions, or behaviour that treat particular people or groups l
describing rules, actions, or behaviour that treat particular people or groups less favourably than others, where the reason for the different treatment is a personal characteristic such as age, race, gender, or religion.
Adaeze's manager admitted that the company's pay policy was discriminatory against female staff.
collocation: discriminatory against [group]
New voting rules affecting only one region were called discriminatory by the court.
passive: were called discriminatory by [authority]
The landlord refused to rent apartments to families with children, which is clearly discriminatory.
Jiwoo believed the dress code was discriminatory because it banned traditional religious headwear.
- prejudiced
focuses on the inner attitude or bias; discriminatory describes the resulting action or policy
- biased
emphasizes favouring one side; discriminatory specifically involves treating a group worse, not just favouring another
- unequal
broader term covering any lack of equality; discriminatory implies unfairness based on personal characteristics
- unfair
more general in meaning; discriminatory is a specific type of unfairness tied to personal identity
文法句型
be discriminatory against [group]
find/rule/declare something discriminatory
用法筆記
Frequently appears in legal, workplace, and policy contexts. When specifying who is affected, use the preposition against (e.g., discriminatory against older workers). This adjective is stronger than unfair — it specifically implies that the unequal treatment is based on a protected characteristic such as race, gender, or religion.