discern
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend.
They discerned a sail on the horizon.
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to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different; discriminate.
He is incapable of discerning right from wrong.
- Synonyms:
- judge, differentiate
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to recognize or perceive clearly
-
to recognize or perceive (differences)
Usage
What does discern mean? Discern means to recognize small details, accurately tell the difference between similar things, and make intelligent judgements by using such observations. The ability to do this or the process of doing it is called discernment, as in Only through careful discernment can you tell a genuine artifact from the work of a counterfeiter. Things that can be identified or distinguished in such a way can be described as discernible. The adjective discerning can be used to describe someone who has the ability to discern or to describe such an ability, as in Most chefs have a very discerning palate. A close synonym is discriminating. The verb discriminate can be used to mean the same thing as discern (discriminate also commonly means to treat in a prejudicial way, which is not one of the senses of discern). Example: These two scents may smell identical to the average person, but an experienced perfumer can discern the difference between them.
Synonym Usage
See notice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has discernedperfect 3rd person singular
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have discernedperfect
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am discerningprogressive 1st person singular
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is discerningprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been discerningperfect progressive
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discerningparticiple
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discernssingular 3rd person
-
has been discerningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are discerningprogressive
Past
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had discernedperfect
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was discerningprogressive singular
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had been discerningperfect progressive
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discernedparticiple
-
were discerningprogressive plural
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discernedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of discern
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin discernere “to separate,” from dis- dis- 1 + cernere “to decide, separate, sift”
Explanation
If you can make out, pick out, or distinguish something, you can discern it. This is a word for recognizing and perceiving things. Discerning has to do with being able to see or hear something. In a loud room, it can be hard to discern one person's voice. If there's not much light, you'll have trouble discerning the words on a page well enough to read. If you have sloppy handwriting, then it's hard to discern what you wrote. When you can discern something, you can tell what it is; you can identify it.
Vocabulary lists containing discern
Things Fall Apart
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Romeo and Juliet
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Grade 10, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But you can still discern the same rush, the same eagerness to assume that everything is going to turn out great without taking many steps to make sure that it does.
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026
AI cannot read the news to discern either the meaning of news or the emotions it will likely elicit.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
“We would stay out of the fray, play by the rules, ignore the ludicrous attacks and assume that people would discern the truth.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
I appreciated the restraint exercised by Caleb Eberhardt, who trusted the audience to discern what it needed to discern about Kenneth when he played the role at La Jolla Playhouse.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Even a year after the accident, I was still unable to discern the pattern.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
