Synonyms for discern
dɪˈsɜrn, -ˈzɜrndis·cern

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.2 / 5 votes

1. discern

   What we discern we see apart from all other objects; what we discriminate we judge apart; what we distinguish we mark apart, or recognize by some special mark or manifest difference. We discriminate by real differences; we distinguish by outward signs; an officer is readily distinguished from a common soldier by his uniform. Objects may be dimly discerned at twilight, when yet we can not clearly distinguish one from another. We descry (originally espy) what is difficult to discover. Compare DISCOVER; LOOK.

   Synonyms:
   behold, descry, discriminate, distinguish, observe, perceive, recognize, see

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. discern

   Synonyms:
   descry, observe, recognize, see, distinguish, discover, behold, penetrate, discriminate, differentiate, separate, perceive

   Antonyms:
   overlook, confound, misdiscern

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. spot, recognize, recognise, distinguish, discern, pick out, make out, tell apartverb

   detect with the senses

   "The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards"; "I can't make out the faces in this photograph"

   Synonyms:
   bang, have it away, screw, acknowledge, recognise, deal, grapple, get along, choose, distinguish, greet, make love, discover, do, jazz, key, love, roll in the hay, separate, cut, neck, be intimate, signalize, accredit, name, pick out, eff, bonk, make do, spot, bed, do it, mark, have intercourse, realize, make out, manage, have sex, tell apart, select, secern, take, fill out, fill in, have a go at it, key out, tell, agnise, describe, secernate, sleep with, agnize, blemish, identify, contend, issue, fleck, hump, get laid, severalize, descry, have it off, sleep together, get by, signalise, write out, spy, cope, recognize, severalise, know, come, get it on, differentiate, complete, blot, fare, lie with, espy, realise, blob

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. discernverb

   Synonyms:
   discriminate, distinguish, note the distinctions of

2. discernverb

   Synonyms:
   perceive, see, discover, descry, behold, espy

3. discernverb

   Synonyms:
   discriminate, judge, make distinction

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. discernverb

   Synonyms:
   perceive, discriminate, distinguish, see

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "discern":

   distinguish, identify, disentangle

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How to use discern in a sentence?

1. Brian Burston:

   You can't discern between the different groups and you don't know whether there's ISIS infiltrators in any of them, the weapon of choice now is a truck. What next? It's just frightening.

2. Susie Lee:

   Siren's touchstones always reference what I discern works in real life, give women the chance to send subtle cues of interest, men to show off a little of who they are, friends to recommend good men and people to make each other smile.

3. Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi:

   I know that most men -- not only those considered clever, but even those who are very clever and capable of understanding most difficult scientific, mathematical, or philosophic, problems - can seldom discern even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as obliges them to admit the falsity of conclusions they have formed, perhaps with much difficulty -- conclusions of which they are proud, which they have taught to others, and on which they have built their lives.

4. Miyamoto Musashi:

   There is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving and declining, in his harmony and discord. Similarly, there is timing in the Way of the merchant, in the rise and fall of capital. All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.

5. Michael Steinbach:

   Once in Syria, it is very difficult to discern what happens there, this lack of clarity remains troubling.