THESAURUS an unreasonable dislike of people who are different from you in some way, especially because of their race, sex, religion, etc.►prejudice
an unreasonable dislike of people who are different from you in some way, especially because of their race, sex, religion, etc.: There is still a lot of prejudice against gays and lesbians.
►discrimination
the practice of treating one group of people differently from another in an unfair way: Discrimination against people because of their age is illegal.
►intolerance
the feeling of being unwilling to accept ways of thinking or behaving that are different from your own: Many people come to the U.S. to escape religious intolerance at home.
►bias
an unfair opinion about someone, that makes you treat that person differently: He accused the umpire of showing bias toward the home team.
►bigotry
behavior or beliefs that show that you have unreasonable opinions, especially about race or religion: In the 1930s, bigotry against immigrants increased.
►racism
hatred for or unfair treatment of people because they belong to a different race: African-American and Latino groups accused the police chief of racism.
►sexism
the belief that one sex, especially the female sex, is weaker, less intelligent, or less important than the other, especially when this results in someone being treated unfairly: The armed forces have worked to reduce sexism in their policies.
►homophobia
hatred or fear of homosexuals: Homophobia is common, and has been the cause of some serious crimes.
►anti-Semitism
hatred toward Jewish people: Is anti-Semitism on the rise in America and Europe?
►ageism
(also age discrimination) treating people unfairly because of their age, especially as they become older: People over the age of 50 without jobs now face ageism as well as a bad job market.
►xenophobia
hatred or fear of foreigners: Xenophobia in the 1920s led to very restrictive immigration policies.
hatred and fear of homosexuals ► see thesaurus at prejudice1—homophobic adjective