discern
- 01 C1 Advanced
to see or hear something that is difficult to notice because it is far away or unclear.
to detect or perceive something with the senses, particularly when the stimulus is faint, distant, or obscured.
Simple“Through the thick fog, we could just discern the lights of a small ship.”
In context“Even with the telescope, it was difficult to discern the individual stars within the dense cluster due to the atmospheric interference.”
UsageOften used with 'can' or 'could' to describe the ability to see something faint.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to understand or realize something by thinking about it carefully.
to recognize, apprehend, or comprehend a fact or situation through mental effort.
Simple“It is often difficult to discern the truth when everyone is telling a different story.”
In context“The analyst was able to discern a subtle pattern in the market data that others had completely ignored.”
UsageFrequently takes a 'that' clause or a 'wh-' clause as an object.
Antonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
to see the difference between two or more things.
to distinguish or discriminate between two or more entities or qualities.
Simple“Young children may find it hard to discern right from wrong in complex situations.”
In context“A trained palate can easily discern the subtle notes of oak and vanilla that distinguish this vintage from the previous year.”
UsageCommonly used with the preposition 'between' or in the pattern 'discern X from Y'.
Synonyms
“More importantly, it will also affect our capacity to discern facts from partial truths and lies.”
“While his act rarely changes, one discerns a scintilla more weirdness in 36-year-old Dean than in the cheeky-chappy, boy-next-door version of old.”
From Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, discern”), from dis- (“apart”) + cernere (“to distinguish”); see certain.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.