discriminate
discriminate は英検準1級・TOEFL 80・IELTS 6.5レベルの英単語で、「差別する、区別する、見分ける」という意味があります。発音記号は /dɪˈskrɪmɪneɪt/ です。
意味一覧 (3件)
差別する
解説 Definition
人を人種、性別、年齢、障害などの属性を理由に不当に扱うときに使う。法律や職場、教育などの文脈でよく現れ、相手に不利益を与える差別的な行為や態度を表す。個人だけでなく制度や慣行について述べる場合にも用いられる。
Discriminate often means to treat a person or group unfairly because of characteristics such as race, sex, age, or disability. It is common in legal, workplace, and school contexts when someone is denied equal treatment or opportunities. The word can describe not only a person's actions but also a rule, system, or social practice that causes unfair disadvantage.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
核は「違いを見抜いて分ける」。dis- が入る語には「離す・分ける」感覚が多く、discriminate も、似たものをひとまとめにせず difference を拾って separate する動きとして覚えると残りやすい。distinguish が一般的な「見分ける」なら、discriminate は細かな差まで意識して区別する感じ。can’t discriminate A from B で「AとBを見分けられない」。ただし discriminate against ... になると「〜を差別する」に変わるので、against を強い目印にすると混同しにくい。
The core idea of discriminate is "to notice a difference and separate things." Many words with dis- have a feeling of dividing or keeping apart, so this can help you remember it. Distinguish is the general word for telling things apart, but discriminate can suggest finer differences; for example, can't discriminate A from B means "can't tell A and B apart." When you see discriminate against, however, it clearly means "to treat unfairly" or "to discriminate against someone."
例文
It is illegal to discriminate against employees because of their age.
年齢を理由に従業員を差別することは違法です。
Some students felt that the policy discriminated against children with disabilities.
その方針は障害のある子どもたちを差別していると感じる生徒もいた。
Good schools should teach children not to discriminate on the basis of race or gender.
よい学校は、人種や性別を理由に差別しないことを子どもたちに教えるべきだ。
差別する
(意味 2)解説 Definition
人を人種、性別、年齢、障害などの属性を理由に不当に扱うときに使う。法律や職場、教育などの文脈でよく現れ、相手に不利益を与える差別的な行為や態度を表す。個人だけでなく制度や慣行について述べる場合にも用いられる。
To discriminate means to treat a person or group unfairly because of race, sex, age, disability, or another personal characteristic. It is often used in legal, workplace, and educational contexts when someone is denied equal treatment or opportunities. The word can describe the actions of an individual, but it can also refer to rules, systems, or common practices that create unfair disadvantages.
例文
It is illegal to discriminate against someone because of their race or religion.
人種や宗教を理由に人を差別することは違法です。
The company was accused of discriminating against older workers during hiring.
その会社は採用の際に高齢の労働者を差別したとして非難された。
Schools must not discriminate against students with disabilities.
学校は障害のある生徒を差別してはならない。
区別する、見分ける
(意味 3)解説 Definition
この discriminate は、複数の物事の違いや特徴を認識して、正しく区別する・見分けるという意味です。色、音、形、品質などの細かな差異を判断する場面で使われ、知覚や学習、識別能力について述べる文脈でもよく用いられます。
To discriminate means to recognize or judge the difference between things. It is often used in formal contexts when someone can notice fine differences clearly. In another common meaning, it can also mean treating people unfairly based on factors such as race, sex, or age.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
この意味の discriminate は、人を不公平に扱う「差別する」ではなく、似たものの差をきちんと感じ取って分ける動詞です。dis- には「離して分ける」感覚があり、色・音・形・品質などを separate して判断する場面を思い浮かべると覚えやすいです。形は discriminate between A and B や discriminate A from B が目印。distinguish よりやや硬く、細かな違いを識別する能力を述べる文脈でよく使われます。
Use the idea of `separating by difference`: to discriminate is to notice small differences and sort things apart. Remember the pattern `discriminate A from B`, which helps fix the meaning in your mind. Be careful: `discriminate against` changes the meaning and is a strong warning sign.
例文
Birds can discriminate between different colors and shapes.
鳥は異なる色と形を区別することができます。
Young children learn to discriminate between similar sounds very quickly.
幼い子どもは、似た音の違いをすぐに聞き分けられるようになる。
Experts can discriminate genuine products from fake ones.
専門家は本物の製品と偽物を見分けることができる。
discriminate の語源・成り立ち Etymology
discriminate はラテン語 discriminare「区別する」が語源で、dis-「離して」+ cernere「見分ける」から成る。出発点は『違いを見分ける』で、そこから人や物を分け隔てる意味が強まり、『差別する』にもなった。関連語は discern, indiscriminate。
Discriminate comes from the Latin word discriminare, meaning "to separate" or "to distinguish." It is built from dis-, meaning "apart," and a root related to cernere, meaning "to separate or judge." The original idea was "to notice differences," and later the word also developed the sense of treating people differently in an unfair way.
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