as in to differentiate
to understand or point out the difference in those philistines who seemingly cannot secern artistic depiction of the nude from blatant pornography

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for secern
Verb
  • In the below interview, Lockhart dives further into differentiating the stories, connecting the dots with very specific references to both books set on Beechwood Island, and where the hope lies in her newest novel, now out in bookstores.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Paleontologists have long wrestled with how to differentiate between male and female dinosaurs based on their fossils.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The cut roofline helps distinguish it from the larger Polestar 3, which has a long, level roof for a traditional SUV profile.
    Mark Phelan, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
  • This helps people distinguish their own speech from external sounds.
    Hannah Seo, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Secern.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secern. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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