discern
Americanverb (used with object)
-
discerns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discerned,
past participle, past
-
discerning
present participle
-
to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend.
They discerned a sail on the horizon.
-
to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different; discriminate.
He is incapable of discerning right from wrong.
- Synonyms:
- judge, differentiate
verb (used without object)
-
discerns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discerned,
past participle, past
-
discerning
present participle
verb
-
(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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discernsimple
-
discernssimple
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have discernedperfect
-
has discernedperfect
-
am discerningprogressive
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are discerningprogressive
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is discerningprogressive
-
have been discerningperfect progressive
-
has been discerningperfect progressive
Past
-
discernedsimple
-
had discernedperfect
-
was discerningprogressive
-
were discerningprogressive
-
had been discerningperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Seeking an answer, investors on Wednesday will turn to the dot plot to try to discern the Fed’s forecast for its benchmark short-term interest rate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Enlander said finding "a buried skull, without any other bone present" presented a problem in trying to discern what happened.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Even when the Fed said little, though, markets would seize on every bit of information to discern the Fed’s next move.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Is that really what viewers want, to not be able to discern reality, even with all its limitations?
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
I try, out of the corner of my bleary eye, to discern what he might be thinking, but his face is impassive.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
She discerns in the subject’s eyes a “warning.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
The bad news, however, is that the patterns Turchin discerns suggest that the crisis will almost certainly get worse.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2023
Through his meditations on William Blake’s “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” Nemo discerns that liberation can only be attained through creation.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2023
“It says a lot about how Washington discerns its interests in the Pacific,” said Mr. Fontaine, “that there was no hand-wringing about angering the French.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2021
There are three kinds of intelligence: one understands on its own; the second discerns what others understand; and the third neither understands by itself nor through others.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
The 1924 Immigration Act limited immigration so drastically, that it can be discerned by a distinct bend in the chart of US annual population growth.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The Polish nobility, for instance, is portrayed as not so noble, which blurs the line between invaders and oppressors; any subtleties to be discerned between the languages spoken were probably swallowed up in the subtitles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Myanmar has a rich culture of fortune-telling, and many believe the future can be discerned by mystics.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
“I prayed about that, discerned and thought I would try it out,” Brown said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
On this scale, intelligent life can be discerned in Boston and Washington and New York.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
“Conceived on a grand architectural scale, this landmark residence balances timeless grandeur with thoughtful functionality, creating a true trophy property for the most discerning collector of fine real estate,” the listing adds.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
"You can't get a more discerning audience than a class of teenagers," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
"Neutrons are ideal at discerning light elements including hydrogen and its isotopes, such as deuterium."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
There’s no doubt that measuring mechanical functionality and discerning historical fidelity have become critical components of the conversation.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
“That’s true. He had an incredibly discerning eye.”
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
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.
