discriminative

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /dɪˈskrɪmɪˌneɪtɪv/ UK /dɪˈskrɪmɪnətɪv/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
making or able to make fine distinctions; selective

The test relies on a discriminative measure of fine motor skill.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · making or able to make fine... discerning discriminating selective perceptive distinguishing discriminatory

Opposites

indiscriminate undiscerningunselective

Word family

Derived forms discriminatively

Related forms discriminate discrimination discriminating discern

Etymology

From Latin discriminat-, past participle stem of discriminare ('to divide, distinguish'), from discrimen ('distinction, division'), from discernere ('to distinguish'), from dis- ('apart') + cernere ('to sift').

discriminare Latin cernere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives

# discriminative

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** dɪˈskrɪmɪˌneɪtɪv
**IPA (UK):** dɪˈskrɪmɪnətɪv

## Meanings
1. making or able to make fine distinctions; selective

## Examples
- The test relies on a discriminative measure of fine motor skill.

## Synonyms
- discerning
- discriminating
- selective
- perceptive
- distinguishing
- discriminatory

## Antonyms
- indiscriminate
- undiscerning
- unselective

## Derived Forms
- discriminatively

## Related Forms
- discriminate
- discrimination
- discriminating
- discern

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: discriminare
- Root: cernere

## Etymology
From Latin discriminat-, past participle stem of discriminare ('to divide, distinguish'), from discrimen ('distinction, division'), from discernere ('to distinguish'), from dis- ('apart') + cernere ('to sift').

## AI Etymology
Discriminative is from Latin discriminat-, past participle stem of discriminare ('to divide, distinguish'), from discrimen ('distinction, division'), from discernere ('to distinguish'), from dis- ('apart') + cernere ('to sift'). The ancestry passes through Latin discriminare and Latin cernere. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as an adjective, it means "making or able to make fine distinctions; selective", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include discriminate, discrimination, discriminating, and discern; derived forms include discriminatively.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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discriminative

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