1
as in noticed
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 differentiated
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 understood
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 discerned
But alas, as those packages pile up outside your apartment door, the boxes inevitably contain a plethora of lulus and turkeys, things that barely fit or flatter you, made of fabric whose cheesiness could not be discerned from the AI photos on the internet.
—
Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2025
Guests discerned that their experiences were better at specific races, and attendance numbers fluctuated across the seasons.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
This is why Dijon’s language works best as sound, not narrative—his rangy, raspy voice seethes and triumphs, mocks and threatens; there’s no world in which his polygonal perspective can be discerned from a lyric sheet.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2025
By the fall, his colleagues had discerned something wonderful in his math.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2025
Guests discerned that their experiences were better at specific races, and attendance numbers fluctuated across the seasons.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
This is why Dijon’s language works best as sound, not narrative—his rangy, raspy voice seethes and triumphs, mocks and threatens; there’s no world in which his polygonal perspective can be discerned from a lyric sheet.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2025
By the fall, his colleagues had discerned something wonderful in his math.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discerned
Verb
-
But when testing the bespoke shots in animals, Grippin noticed that even the placebo shots — which contained mRNA entirely unrelated to the cancer — also activated the immune system to kill tumors.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
-
And it certainly can be noticed, both in its abundance, and in the case of the Warriors’ 129-104 shellacking on Friday night at the hands of the Nuggets in an Emirates Cup group stage matchup, in its absence.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Apple has differentiated itself within megacap tech with a more conservative approach to artificial intelligence spending.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The low-cut vamp differentiated itself from the traditional pump aesthetic with an angular square outline.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
How gentle and precious to be understood.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
-
In handing down the sentence, Montenegro said Bonillo understood the scope of his misdeeds, abused his position of trust and used that position to enrich himself while undermining CBP’s main goal.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The couple first met in 2012 through a mutual friend and were spotted holding hands at the season launch party of Portlandia at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in December 2012.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Bovino was spotted at 26th and Pulaski by DeMateo, the pastor, in the Little Village neighborhood where DHS and the Border Patrol chief originally claimed he was hit in the head with a rock by a protester.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Available for $695, the sculptural silhouette is distinguished by its super-sharp pointed toe.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The Polar Express’ three seating tiers—coach, deluxe, and first-class—are mainly distinguished by seat type.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The president worked with Gifford Pinchot—the US Forest Service’s first leader—on a publicity campaign in this realm, and came to appoint a commission in 1903 that held public hearings and investigations the president knew would grab headlines.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Not the loss of titles, or the connections to Jeffrey Epstein, and of course, not how long the royal family knew about it without doing anything.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The trees were cut down, sawed in half, hollowed out and tied back together for the musicians to use.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Fanatics shared the moment Tennessee Titans first overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward, saw Brady pop up on the screen to give him some wise words.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
While expeditions in the early 1990s deciphered crucial insights into the ship’s final moments, one expedition drew sharp criticism after a crewman’s body was found.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
All these tropes — gaydar and girls without it — make for easier narratives, but the presumption that the codes of the heart can be deciphered on the body is one that, outside the world of absurdist comedy — and probably sometimes within it as well — can wound and damage.—
Kelly Foster Lundquist,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discerned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discerned. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share