1
as in to notice
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
barely able to discern the garden gate through the mist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to differentiate
to understand or point out the difference in
too young to discern between right and wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to understand
to have a clear idea of
we're still trying to discern the meaning of that cryptic remark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discern
From design to branding to marketing to developing in-store experiences, both our retailers and brands are being thoughtful, creative and discerning with their business decisions.
—
Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 27 May 2026
Portfolio depth tells the real story The first place a discerning couple should look when selecting a wedding photographer is at their full body of work.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
There’s a certain scale at which the discerning buyer might hit a rut; things that are smaller than most pieces of furniture might require turning to the largest of shelves at the biggest box stores.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 23 May 2026
And the band’s iconic red-and-white all-over aesthetic was striking to anyone with a discerning eye.
—Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for discern
Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 27 May 2026
Portfolio depth tells the real story The first place a discerning couple should look when selecting a wedding photographer is at their full body of work.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
There’s a certain scale at which the discerning buyer might hit a rut; things that are smaller than most pieces of furniture might require turning to the largest of shelves at the biggest box stores.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 23 May 2026
And the band’s iconic red-and-white all-over aesthetic was striking to anyone with a discerning eye.
—Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for discern
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discern
Verb
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The ability to notice emotional shifts in others is a key part of developing empathy, one of the highest forms of emotional intelligence.—
Reem Raouda,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
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Fans also noticed that the show didn’t tag any of its contestants’ Instagram handles in this year’s announcement and that comments are already restricted on the Islanders’ personal pages, leading to speculation that the show has put new social media safeguards in place to alleviate harassment.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
Verb
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However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
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New York City’s luxury hotel market is remarkably resilient even during economic downturns, but even upscale hotels must compete and differentiate themselves.—
Irene S. Levine,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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It is being built here, in MDC’s classrooms by an institution that understood early on that the city’s greatest competitive advantage was always the people already living in it.—
Miami Dade College,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
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This suggests that buyers are increasingly narrowing down their talent searches to specialists that understand the unique peculiarities and context windows that come attached to different coding tools, with Anthropic’s Claude being the most popular.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Montenegro and Albania are seen as the frontrunners among the Western Balkans, while Ukraine and Moldova are moving closer to opening formal membership talks.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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The 29-year-old checked out of the game and was seen limping back to the locker room as the first quarter came to an end.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Implicit in Schulze’s remark is what distinguished the Hairy Who from their Pop counterparts on the East Coast.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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The results highlight an important boundary in early social cognition and offer insight into how infants distinguish between human and artificial agents.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Videos of climbers waiting in long queues in an area known as the death zone – where the air is too thin to breathe unaided for long – on their way to the summit have once again made headlines, alongside record-breaking ascents from both Nepali and foreign climbers.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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The way Daniel and Jackie get to know each other feels more authentic than genuine, navigating playful bonding moments as well as their own personal hang-ups.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Instead of just releasing Mythos, which proved in testing to be adept at spotting security holes, Anthropic initially made the model available to 11 organizations, including Club names CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks .—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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Howard’s eagle eyes spotted so many animals hiding in the bush and from great distances.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Armed with an adventure kit, participants are summoned to a secret location where they’re tasked with deciphering cryptic codes, uncovering hidden symbols, navigating shifting alliances and outwit enemies and operatives stationed around the campus.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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Immigration experts who were trying to decipher the news said the memo was more nuanced, leading to confusion over what the change actually entailed.—
Rebecca Santana,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discern.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discern. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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