indiscriminate
/ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmɪnət/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmɪnət/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-di-ˈskri-mə-nət -ˈskrim-nət/ (ame, mw)
indiscriminate — adjective
- indiscriminatepositive
- more indiscriminatecomparative
- most indiscriminatesuperlative
1. describing an action that affects many people or things without picking which on
describing an action that affects many people or things without picking which ones, often causing harm because no thought is given to who or what is hit.
The indiscriminate bombing of the village killed dozens of farmers and their children.
attributive: indiscriminate + noun (bombing) describing harm-causing action
Doctors warn against the indiscriminate use of antibiotics for every minor sore throat.
collocation: indiscriminate use of [substance]
Vikram criticised the company for its indiscriminate firing of staff over forty.
The new law bans indiscriminate logging in protected areas of the rainforest.
Maeve is rather indiscriminate in her reading and will pick up almost any book.
- random
everyday word; lacks the strong negative judgement of 'indiscriminate'
- haphazard
stresses lack of plan rather than lack of care about who gets hurt
- wholesale
stresses large scale of an action, often destructive (wholesale destruction)
- undiscriminating
milder; usually about taste or judgement, not violence
- selective
chooses carefully on stated criteria
- targeted
aimed precisely at one chosen group, common in military and policy contexts
- discerning
shows good judgement, usually about taste or quality
文法句型
indiscriminate + noun (attack, bombing, use, killing)
indiscriminate in + noun
用法筆記
Frequently attributive before nouns of violence, removal, or consumption (bombing, attack, killing, use, hiring, slaughter). When predicative with 'in + noun', the tone softens and can describe taste or habit rather than harm.