discriminación
/diskɾiminaˈθjon/feminine
The English word 'discrimination' is discriminación in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists discrimen.
Meaning: distinct treatment of an individual or group to their disadvantage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| discriminación | /diskɾiminaˈθjon/ /diskɾiminaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| discrimen | /disˈkɾimen/ | masculine |
discriminación refers to the act of treating an individual or a group of people differently to their disadvantage. If you wish to use the corresponding verb, 'to discriminate', use discriminar.
Which one should you use?
discriminación is the standard term for unfair treatment. In contrast, the masculine form discrimen is a formal term that refers to a distinction or a criterion used for making a judgment.
How does it change in a sentence?
discriminación is a feminine noun and requires feminine articles such as la or unas.
How do you pronounce it?
/diskɾiminaˈθjon/
Did you know?
- In some legal contexts in Spanish speaking countries, discriminación positiva refers to 'affirmative action' or policies designed to favor disadvantaged groups.
- The word discriminación comes from the Latin discrimina, which originally referred to a 'separation' or 'division' like a fork in a road.
- The word discriminar can be used in a neutral way to mean 'sorting' or 'filtering' items, such as when separating waste for recycling.
Examples in context
- Él se opone a la discriminación racial.He's opposed to racial discrimination.This sentence shows how to express opposition to racial discriminación.Tatoeba #601186 by Shishir, translation #600855 by baisong
- La discriminación es un hecho social, no una sensación.Discrimination is a social fact, not a feeling.This sentence describes discriminación as a social fact rather than a feeling.Tatoeba #5796236 by baudelaire, translation #5796715 by nile45
- La discriminación sobre la base del género sexual está prohibida.Discrimination on the basis of gender is prohibited.This sentence mentions that discriminación based on gender is prohibited.Tatoeba #3476332 by gianich73, translation #3473492 by AlanF_US
- La discriminación racial es una violación de los derechos humanos básicos.Racial discrimination is a violation of basic human rights.
- La discriminación laboral es un problema serio en nuestra sociedad actual.Workplace discrimination is a serious issue in our current society.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are discussing a news article about workplace equality.
- AlejandroLeí que hay mucha discriminación en esa empresa.I read that there is a lot of discrimination in that company.
- SofíaEs terrible que todavía pase eso hoy en día.It is terrible that that still happens nowadays.
- AlejandroSí, debemos luchar contra toda discriminación laboral.Yes, we must fight against all workplace discrimination.
- SofíaTienes razón, Alejandro, es un problema serio.You are right, Alejandro, it is a serious problem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “discrimination” translations and entries discriminación, discrimen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries discriminación, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
