DISCRIMINATORY Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

discriminatory

adjective

di-ˈskri-mə-nə-ˌtȯr-ē

Definition of discriminatory

as in unfair

favoring, applying, or being unequal treatment of different classes of people a company that was fined for its discriminatory practices in the hiring of women

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of discriminatory If The Jazz Singer was forward-thinking in its technical aspects, its depiction of Jolson wearing blackface was rooted in a discriminatory status quo. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026 That discovery could potentially expose the skeletons in the NFL’s closet, shedding light on the league’s allegedly discriminatory hiring practices. — Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026 From this perspective, removing Barrera was presented as a response to language viewed as discriminatory, not to the broader political position of supporting Palestinian rights. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 Last year, the California Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that denying educational employment opportunities to undocumented students is discriminatory — signaling to supporters that the bill had a chance. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for discriminatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for discriminatory

Adjective

Kretzschmar and his lawyers, however, argued in state court in Tompkins County that the process was fundamentally unfair, including because he was found responsible for an offense that was not listed in his initial set of administrative charges.

— Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
In October 2025, Jean-Louis filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Monét alleging breach of contract and unfair competition.

— Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of unfair

Adjective

Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, had fought against Serbian oppression.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
For the same reason, the players’ unjust enrichment claim came up short.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of unjust

Adjective

Noting the use of generative and discriminative AI pairs, Rus also compares a generative process - writing a book - to the traditional human way that this is done.

— John Werner, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
In 2019, the Chinese government issued a directive banning a wide range of discriminative measures against women in the hiring process, including asking women about their marital and childbearing status.

— Jessie Yeung and Nectar Gan, CNN, 5 June 2021

Definition of discriminative

Browse Nearby Words

discriminative

discriminatory

discursive

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“Discriminatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discriminatory. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of discriminatory

adjective

Example Sentences

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