Word: discriminating (adjective)

Associations

The word "discriminating" means having good judgment or the ability to notice small differences and choose carefully. It is often used to describe people who can tell what is good quality or what is better among many options.

• Example 1: "She is a discriminating reader who only chooses the best books." Here, it means she chooses books carefully based on quality.
• Example 2: "A discriminating customer will notice the difference in taste between two brands." It shows the customer can tell small differences.
• Example 3: "The restaurant is popular with discriminating diners." This means the diners have good taste and know good food.

Synonym: "selective."
Difference: "Selective" means choosing carefully but can be more general, while "discriminating" often focuses on having good taste or fine judgment.

Substitution

You can replace "discriminating" with words like:

• selective (focus on careful choice)
• discerning (focus on good judgment and understanding)
• picky (more negative, meaning hard to please)

For example, "discerning" is very close in meaning and often used for people with good taste.

Deconstruction

"Discriminating" comes from the verb "discriminate," which means to notice differences.

• Prefix: "dis-" means apart or away.
• Root: "criminate" comes from Latin "criminare," meaning to judge or decide.
• Suffix: "-ing" turns the verb into an adjective describing a quality.

So, "discriminating" literally means "able to judge apart" or "able to see differences."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you were discriminating about something, like food or clothes?
• How does being discriminating help you make better choices?
• Can being too discriminating ever cause problems? Why or why not?