discern Hear it!

discern Definition

dis·cern (di sʉrn′, -zʉrn′)

transitive verb

  1. to separate (a thing) mentally from another or others; recognize as separate or different
  2. to perceive or recognize; make out clearly

Etymology: ME discernen < OFr discerner < L discernere < dis-, apart + cernere, to separate: see harvest

intransitive verb

to perceive or recognize the difference

discern Related Forms

dis·cern′·ible adjective dis·cern′·ibly adverb

discern Synonyms

discern

v.

  1. To see

    observe, behold, make out, perceive, notice, espy, descry, recognize, spot; see also see 1.

  2. To detect

    discover, distinguish, differentiate, find out, determine, ascertain, judge, apprehend, discriminate; see also discover.

discern implies a making out or recognizing of something visually or mentally to discern one's motives; perceive implies recognition by means of any of the senses, and, with reference to mental apprehension, often implies keen understanding or insight to perceive a change in attitude; distinguish implies perceiving clearly or distinctly by sight, hearing, etc. he distinguished the voices of men down the hall; observe and notice both connote some measure of attentiveness, though the former may imply a more conscious act of will, and both usually suggest use of the sense of sight to observe an eclipse, to notice a sign

discern Usage Examples

Object

  • truth: Instead He asks us to do our best, trusting our innate ability to discern the truth.
  • will: High Priests represented the gods on earth, one of their jobs being to discern the divine will.
  • difference: Why, then, do I discern a difference between them?
  • pattern: Talking dirty There is, of course, another way of trying to discern pattern.
  • trend: We discern two important trends across organizational contexts in relation to project purpose.
  • meaning: Ross leads us on a journey into the core of our psyches in order to discern the meanings inherent within the dreaming world.

Subject

eye: Paran lists are generated by computer programs or can be discerned approximately by eye from the maps.

Preposition: between

truth: Only there will you find the principles and truths to discern between truth and error.

Adjective complement

more: Depending on how perceptive she is, she might discern more about them.

Modifying Another Word

  • spiritually: WE DENY that the natural man is able to discern spiritually the biblical message apart from the Holy Spirit.
  • dimly: What you say it can & shall be I dimly discern in your Poems.
  • accurately: In a very few minutes it arrived near enough to be accurately discerned.
  • readily: With rich data, grounded theorists can more readily discern what participants mean and how they define their experiences.
  • easily: With increased intuition, you can easily discern new channels for creativity in your personal life or business.
  • clearly: We could now also clearly discern the outline of a typical deltoid Flying Triangle UFO.

Used with why or when

  • what: Better would be How do we discern what is the voice of the Spirit of Truth?
  • which: To discern which button had been pressed I was going to look at the value of the buttons to tell them apart.
  • who: Then, in front of the class, the class will ask them questions to discern who is the ' liar ' .
  • where: We are currently engaged in " reading the signs of the times " in order to discern where the Lord is calling us next.
  • when: Lord, please by Your spirit give me the ability to discern when I am facing a temptation.