discriminated upon

USAGE SUMMARY

"discriminated upon" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is typically used to describe the act of being treated unfairly or unfavorably because of a particular characteristic, such as race, gender, or religion. Example: The company's strict dress code only discriminated upon employees who wore traditional religious clothing.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Fisher felt that she was being discriminated upon because she was white, and from there opened up the case of Fisher vs. The University of Texas, in which claimed the current admission policy unconstitutional.

Huffington Post

She also wrote an almost unreadable forum post here, in which she outlined her plans to take legal action against Legoland for the way in which she was "discriminated upon," and actually seriously said: "I can only imagine in what ways this shattered my kid's ideas of society as a whole".

Vice

Yes the one who was not given food thinks that they are being discriminated upon.

BMC Health Services Research

We designed bisulfite primers in a way to simultaneously amplify all three homoeologous copies that we subsequently discriminated upon sequencing.

BMC Genomics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Different number of spectra from different groups in the model does not bias the model as we are discriminating upon differences between groups and grouping on similarities within groups.

British Journal of Cancer

We did not discriminate upon gestational age of the former preterm infant, but we did investigate children with ELBW (< 1000 g), whereas, for example, the EPICure cohort (32) studies included infants in between 22 and 26 weeks of gestational age, independent of birth weight.

Blood Pressure

On close inspection, one will see that these documents say what should already be apparent -- that you will not be discriminated against upon your race, religion, sex and sexual orientation.

Huffington Post

In keeping with recent data and statements of the consensus on the nomenclature of monocyte subsets, we observed that two phenotypically and functionally distinct CD16+ subsets can be reliably discriminated based upon their expression of CCR2.

Arthritis Research and Therapy

For example, in a Dec. 15 debate among Republican presidential hopefuls, Mitt Romney said: "I'm firmly in support of people not being discriminated against based upon their sexual orientation.

The New York Times

Let us be honest and very clear about this: LGB individuals are widely frowned upon, discriminated against and in the case of certain nations such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, executed.

Huffington Post

This affected a host of Southern Christian schools and academies, many of which saw the decision in terms of "big government" threatening their religious liberty — the liberty to discriminate based upon their reading of the Bible.

The Washington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

While "discriminated upon" is grammatically correct, consider using the more common and widely accepted phrase "discriminated against" for clarity and broader understanding.

Common error

Avoid using "discriminated upon" when "discriminated against" or "discriminated based on" is more appropriate and idiomatic. "Upon" can sound overly formal or unnatural in modern English in this context.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "discriminated upon" functions as a passive construction, indicating that someone or something is the recipient of discriminatory actions. It typically requires a subject to identify who or what is being discriminated against. As Ludwig AI explains, it describes being treated unfairly due to specific characteristics.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "discriminated upon" is grammatically sound but relatively uncommon in modern English. According to Ludwig AI, it describes the state of being treated unfairly or unfavorably. While it appears in various sources, including news and scientific publications, alternatives like "discriminated against" or "discriminated based on" are more prevalent and often preferred for their clarity and widespread acceptance. When writing, consider your audience and the desired tone; while "discriminated upon" isn't incorrect, using more common phrasing will likely improve communication and avoid sounding overly formal or archaic.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Discriminated against

More common and direct alternative to express being treated unfairly.

Discriminated based on

Specifies the criteria used for unfair treatment.

Subjected to discrimination

Highlights the act of discrimination as a process.

Treated unfairly

General term for unequal treatment, lacking the legal connotation of discrimination.

Marginalized

Focuses on being pushed to the edge of society or a group.

Victimized

Emphasizes the harm caused by discriminatory actions.

Penalized

Implies a specific punishment or disadvantage.

Disadvantaged

Highlights the resulting disadvantage from unfair treatment.

Oppressed

Suggests systematic and prolonged unfair treatment.

Prejudiced against

Focuses on the bias or prejudice that leads to discrimination.

FAQs

What is a more common alternative to "discriminated upon"?

A more common and widely accepted alternative is "discriminated against". It conveys the same meaning but is more frequently used in contemporary English.

Is "discriminated upon" grammatically incorrect?

No, "discriminated upon" is not grammatically incorrect, but it is less common and can sound more formal or archaic than "discriminated against".

In what contexts might I use "discriminated upon"?

You might encounter "discriminated upon" in formal writing or older texts. However, in most modern contexts, "discriminated against" is generally preferred.

What's the difference between "discriminated upon" and "discriminated based on"?

"Discriminated upon" generally refers to the act of being discriminated against, while "discriminated based on" specifies the criteria or grounds for the discrimination (e.g., race, gender, religion).