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.
-
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
-
(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
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discernsimple
-
discernssimple
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have discernedperfect
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has discernedperfect
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am discerningprogressive
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are discerningprogressive
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is discerningprogressive
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have been discerningperfect progressive
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has been discerningperfect progressive
Past
-
discernedsimple
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had discernedperfect
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was discerningprogressive
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were discerningprogressive
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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:
Is that really what viewers want, to not be able to discern reality, even with all its limitations?
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
In terms of actual names Leeds are chasing, it is difficult to discern at this stage, but I know they admire the Czech player Ladislav Krejci.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
A few decades ago, satellites peering down could barely discern a baseball diamond.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
In a few more steps the tunnel—Mrs. Frisby could now discern, dimly, its shape and direction—took a turn to the right, and she did see for herself.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
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
But in reading her dark “The Coming of Age,” he discerns an admittedly hidden note of optimism, resulting in his list of “Top Ten Ways to Grow Old.”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2020
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 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
Many discerned an environmental message in the vibrant green artwork, which appeared on Sunday — St. Patrick’s Day.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2024
If you've discerned the show's common patterns and tells over the past two seasons, which happens to nearly every series in its third go-round, you may even finger a culprit weeks before the finale.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2023
I had discerned the ways in which we had been sculpted by a tradition given to us by others, a tradition of which we were either willfully or accidentally ignorant.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
The caveat is that they are not making the decisions, but are discerning the mood.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
After driving Micron Technology shares dramatically higher over the past year, investors seem to be getting more discerning.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
The novel shows us a country—the leafy East Coast suburbs and the open highways of the West—as seen by a newcomer’s discerning eye.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
But it was always clear to any discerning viewer that these were the overcompensations of a man beset by eternal emptiness.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Despite these precautions, from the very first day, the headmistress had no trouble discerning the eccentricities of her new pupil.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
