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discern

verb

di-ˈsərn How to pronounce discern (audio)
Definition of discernnext
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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discern So, in order to make an extreme contact point work, the batter has to be able to discern balls and strikes really well. — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 This celestial season puts everything from your spending habits and income streams and your sense of self-worth under a discerning lens. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026 In a traditional sense, the Rams’ position battles to settle their eventual 53-man roster aren’t for the starting roles like other teams across the league are using the preseason to discern. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2026 Aside from Big Boi, NYC canine influencer Lumi (@LittleBearLumi on social media) and Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione will bring their discerning eyes to the judges' table. — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for discern
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discern
  1. notice
  2. differentiate
  3. understand
  4. see
  5. distinguish
  6. know
  7. spot
  8. decipher
Verb
  • Diners will notice Postino’s custom millwork, camera wall and artsy design elements that call attention to Plaza Midwood’s past.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Whether viewing in person at the Ryman over the livestream, fans definitely noticed, and did not hold it against him, given the firepower that followed, and perhaps some empathy with what Stapleton might have been going through.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of notice
Verb
  • Every hour spent maintaining infrastructure that isn’t differentiating is an hour not spent on the work that actually moves the business forward.
    — Nick Chandi, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • So, for example, 4 NAZA would mean four other people killed — women, children, elderly, the term doesn’t differentiate.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of differentiate
Verb
  • People with brain damage can lose the ability to understand or speak words yet still do math, play chess and compose music.
    — George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
  • New York already understands the importance of making its cultural life more accessible, and Mayor Mamdani’s recent TDF initiative to give free tickets to high schoolers offers one model.
    — Brian Beirne, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of understand
Verb
  • Emmys nights one and two saw Widow’s Bay pick up a whopping eight trophies, one short of The Studio’s total of nine last year, and this evening might end with Widow’s Bay grabbing a lot of the same awards The Studio did last year.
    — Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The bookshelf becomes a collective record of the times, ways of seeing, forms that flourished during particular eras, and also questions that persist across centuries.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of see
Verb
  • The following books refuse to treat breakups as a singular ending or distinguish the breakup from the inevitable awakening.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The new analysis used the MagLab’s 21-tesla Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer, which can distinguish an enormous number of compounds within extremely complex mixtures.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of distinguish
Verb
  • Vasil didn’t know what his teammates were planning and was clearly touched by the display of support.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of know
Verb
  • To find it, look low above the southwestern horizon after sunset, where Venus will be easy to spot despite the lingering twilight.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were stopped for about 20 minutes on Wednesday night after two pilots spotted a drone flying over the active runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of spot
Verb
  • No, multiple academics have attempted to decipher the meaning behind the mightily adorable meow of the domestic house cat.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Taxpayer groups working across multiple cities and counties should not have to decipher different deadlines and procedures in every jurisdiction.
    — Marc Joffe, Oc Register, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of decipher

Browse Nearby Words

discarnate
discern
discerned
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Discern.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discern. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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