discernible
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does discernible mean? Discernible means able to be recognized, identified, or distinguished. If two things are described as discernible, it means they can be told apart. The verb discern means to recognize small details, accurately tell the difference between similar things, and make intelligent judgements by using such observations. Discernible is sometimes spelled as discernable. A close synonym is distinguishable. Discernible is especially used with the word difference, as in There is no discernable difference between these two things. The ability to discern or the process of doing so is called discernment, as in Only through careful discernment are these two parts discernible. Discernible means able to be discerned—not able to discern. The word for that is discerning, which can describe someone who has the ability to discern or such an ability, as in Most chefs have a very discerning palate. Example: These two scents may smell identical to the average person, but they are discernible to an experienced perfumer.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of discernible
1555–65; < Latin discernibilis ( see discern, -ible); replacing earlier discernable < Middle French, equivalent to discern ( er ) to discern + -able -able
Explanation
Discernible means noticeable. If your extra hours training are having no discernible influence on your basketball game, it means your game has not changed. You can use discernible in two senses. First, you can use it to describe something you physically see: Because the sky was so clear, the ship was discernible from miles off. You can also use it to describe something you sense or understand: When your younger brother told he was sorry he broke your baseball bat, the truth was discernible in his voice.
Vocabulary lists containing discernible
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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.
Discernible also are the cook, two radio operators and the chief engineer, the rest of the crew remaining in the background as heroic but anonymous supernumeraries.
From Time Magazine Archive
Discernible in the activities of the National Council and other interdenominational organizations is the definite trend toward Protestant church unity.
From Time Magazine Archive
Discernible with optical aid early in May, it was on June 5 observed on the meridian at Albany just before noon—an astronomical event of extreme rarity.
From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Clerke, Agnes M. (Agnes Mary)
The "Midmost blotch of black Discernible in the group of clustered crimes Huddling together in the cave they call Their palace."
From Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher by Jones, Henry, Sir
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.
