Discrimination most often means unfair treatment based on characteristics like race or age, though it can also mean the ability to notice fine differences; discriminating is the adjective for someone with good judgement and a sharp eye for quality. Memory hook: a 'discriminating' shopper has taste, while 'discrimination' at work is a legal problem.
The core difference
Discrimination is the noun, usually meaning unfair treatment; discriminating is the adjective, meaning showing fine judgement.
- discrimination — unfair treatment based on race, gender, age, or similar: The company was sued for racial discrimination in hiring.
- discrimination — the ability to notice fine differences: Her discrimination in matters of taste made her an excellent art critic.
- discriminating — having good judgement and a fine sense of quality: The restaurant caters to a discriminating clientele.
How to tell them apart
Discrimination comes from the Latin discriminare, meaning 'to distinguish or separate'. That origin explains why the word has two quite different senses: the everyday negative one, unfair treatment, and an older, more neutral one, the ability to spot fine differences. Discriminating, the related adjective, kept closer to that neutral, positive sense, describing someone with a sharp, selective eye.
Where the mix-up shows up
Because discrimination is so strongly associated with its negative sense today, calling someone 'discriminating' can sound like an accusation if the reader isn't familiar with the positive meaning. In formal or marketing writing aimed at a general audience, it's often safer to use plainer alternatives like 'selective' or 'has excellent judgement' unless the context makes the positive sense obvious.
