Discern

//dɪˈsɝn// verb

verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To detect with the senses, especially with the eyes. transitive

    "Meanwhile the brig had altered her tack, and was moving slowly to the east. Three hours later and the keenest eye could not have discerned her top-sails above the horizon."

  2. 2
    detect with the senses wordnet
  3. 3
    To perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind; to descry. transitive

    "If they discern any evidences of wrong-going in any direction that I have indicated, they will acknowledge that I had reason in what I wrote. If they discern no such thing, they will consider me altogether mistaken."

  4. 4
    To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate or discriminate. transitive

    "He was too young to discern right from wrong."

  5. 5
    To perceive differences. intransitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
recognizedistinguishspottell apartunderstandanticipate

Example

More examples

"It is hard to discern between the true and the false."

Etymology

From Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, discern”), from dis- (“apart”) + cernere (“to distinguish”); see certain.

More for "discern"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.