indiscriminate
/ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/adjective
indiscriminate is spelled I-N-D-I-S-C-R-I-M-I-N-A-T-E: 14 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, indiscriminate means “Not marked by discrimination or discernment; (by extension) confused, promiscuous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in indiscriminate?
| Letters | 14: I-N-D-I-S-C-R-I-M-I-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is indiscriminate?
Indiscriminate appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce indiscriminate?
- UK /ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/
Indiscriminate has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-indiscriminate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indiscriminate
- more indiscriminate comparative
- most indiscriminate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indiscriminate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not marked by discrimination or discernment; (by extension) confused, promiscuous.
- 2
Without care in making distinctions, thoughtless.
How can anyone be so indiscriminate in making friends as he is?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indiscriminate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Without care or making distinctions, thoughtless:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | indiscriminé, indistinct |
| German | unüberlegt, wahllos, willkürlich, gedankenlos, unbedacht, unterschiedslos |
| Spanish | indiscriminado, desconsiderado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does indiscriminate come from?
First attested in 1598; from in- + discriminate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).