1 N‑UNCOUNT Discrimination is the practice of treating one person or group of people less fairly or less well than other people or groups. □ She is exempt from sex discrimination laws. □ [+ against ] …discrimination against immigrants.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Discrimination is knowing what is good or of high quality. □ They cooked without skill and ate without discrimination.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Discrimination is the ability to recognize and understand the differences between two things. □ …colour discrimination.
dis|crimi|na|tory /d I skr I m I nətri, [AM ] -tɔːri/ ADJ Discriminatory laws or practices are unfair because they treat one group of people worse than other groups.
dis|cur|sive /d I skɜː r s I v/ ADJ If a style of writing is discursive , it includes a lot of facts or opinions that are not necessarily relevant. [FORMAL ] □ …a livelier, more candid and more discursive treatment of the subject.
dis|cus /d I skəs/ (discuses )
1 N‑COUNT A discus is a heavy circular object which athletes try to throw as far as they can as a sport.
2 N‑SING The discus is the sport of throwing a discus. □ He won the discus at the Commonwealth Games.
dis|cuss ◆◆◇ /d I skʌ s/ (discusses , discussing , discussed )
1 VERB If people discuss something, they talk about it, often in order to reach a decision. □ [V n] I will be discussing the situation with colleagues tomorrow. □ [V wh-to-inf] The cabinet met today to discuss how to respond to the ultimatum. [Also V wh]
2 VERB If you discuss something, you write or talk about it in detail. □ [V n] I will discuss the role of diet in cancer prevention in Chapter 7. SYNONYMS discuss VERB 1
debate: He likes to debate issues with his friends.
thrash out: …a sincere effort by two people to thrash out differences.
argue: They were still arguing; I could hear them down the road.
dis|cus|sion ◆◆◇ /d I skʌ ʃ ə n/ (discussions )
1 N‑VAR If there is discussion about something, people talk about it, often in order to reach a decision. □ [+ of/about/on ] There was a lot of discussion about the wording of the report. ● PHRASE If something is under discussion , it is still being talked about and a final decision has not yet been reached. □ 'The proposals are still under discussion,' she said.
2 N‑COUNT A discussion of a subject is a piece of writing or a lecture in which someone talks about it in detail. □ [+ of ] For a discussion of biology and sexual politics, see chapter 4.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A discussion document or paper is one that contains information and usually proposals for people to discuss. COLLOCATIONS discussion NOUN
1
noun + discussion : classroom, group, panel
adjective + discussion : earnest, frank, heated, lively; confidential, informal, lengthy; further, ongoing, preliminary
verb + discussion : begin, continue, hold, initiate; dominate, join
2
adjective + discussion : detailed, full
dis|cu s|sion group (discussion groups ) N‑COUNT A discussion group is a group of people who meet regularly to discuss a particular subject.
dis|dain /d I sde I n/ (disdains , disdaining , disdained )
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you feel disdain for someone or something, you dislike them because you think that they are inferior or unimportant. □ Janet looked at him with disdain. [Also + for ]
2 VERB If you disdain someone or something, you regard them with disdain. □ [V n] Jackie disdained the servants that her millions could buy.
dis|dain|ful /d I sde I nfʊl/ ADJ To be disdainful means to dislike something or someone because you think they are unimportant or not worth your attention. □ [+ of ] He is highly disdainful of anything to do with the literary establishment. ● dis|dain|ful|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ 'We know all about you,' she said disdainfully.
dis|ease ◆◆◇ /d I ziː z/ (diseases ) N‑VAR A disease is an illness which affects people, animals, or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection. □ …the rapid spread of disease in the area. □ …illnesses such as heart disease. SYNONYMS disease NOUN 1
illness: If your child shows any signs of illness, take her to the doctor.
condition: Doctors suspect he may have a heart condition.
complaint: Eczema is a common skin complaint which often runs in families.
infection: Ear infections are common in pre-school children.
ailment: The pharmacist can assist you with the treatment of common ailments.
dis|eased /d I ziː zd/ ADJ Something that is diseased is affected by a disease. □ The arteries are diseased and a transplant is the only hope.
dis|em|bark /d I s I mbɑː r k/ (disembarks , disembarking , disembarked ) VERB When passengers disembark from a ship, aeroplane, or bus, they leave it at the end of their journey. [FORMAL ] □ [V ] I looked towards the plane. Six passengers had already disembarked. [Also V + from ] ● dis|em|bar|ka|tion /d I se mbɑː r ke I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ Disembarkation is at 7.30am.
dis|em|bod|ied /d I s I mbɒ did/