indiscriminate

Indiscriminate is an adjective used to describe actions, policies, or judgments that fail to distinguish between individuals, options, or outcomes. It denotes a lack of discernment or selectivity—doing something without applying appropriate criteria or differentiation. The term can refer to random or haphazard processes, as well as to treatment that affects people or things regardless of their characteristics.

In common usage, indiscriminate is often attached to negative contexts: indiscriminate violence or destruction implies harm to unintended victims; indiscriminate spraying or hunting suggests broad, non-specific application; indiscriminate allocation refers to distribution without regard to need or merit. The concept is frequently discussed in ethics, law, and policy when criticizing actions that cause widespread or unjust harm.

Etymology: indiscriminate comes from in- (not) + discriminate, with discriminate derived from Latin discriminare, to separate or distinguish. The modern sense, applied to judgment and action without discrimination, emerged in the late 18th to 19th centuries.

See also: discrimination (the act of making distinctions; can be neutral or pejorative), selective, discerning, non-discriminatory (as a term in law and policy).