Learn how to file a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.Discrimination means, at a very basic level, the act of separating out singular things or groups of things. It can be both an adjective and a verb. Policy Against Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment. Discrimination means treating some people differently from others. To "discriminate" against someone means to treat that person differently, or less favorably, for some reason. Discrimination is unfair treatment of one particular person or group of people. A simplified description of the legal definition of discrimination is when a person is treated disfavourably or when a person's dignity is violated. Discrimination is unfair treatment of one particular person or group of people.