English Reference
Adjective

discernible

adj.
C1 Advanced US /dɪˈsɝnəbəɫ/ UK /dɪsˈɜːnəbəl/ dis·cernible

adj.easy to see, hear, or notice. You use this to describe something that is clear enough for you to identify.

adj.capable of being perceived or identified by the senses. Often used to describe a quality or detail that is faint but still noticeable.


SIMPLE

The faint sound of the river is discernible from the road.

CONTEXTUAL

Even from a distance, the subtle differences in the two paintings are discernible to an experienced eye.

COMPLEX

The subtle shifts in the protagonist's tone suggest a discernible change in her character, though the author never explicitly states the cause.

That final revelation, of these plucky underdogs winning yet another challenge to the legal system against all discernible odds, marked the first time I pumped my fist watching a documentary.

The Guardian· 9 Sept 2026

It is little known that Galton – often called the ‘father of fingerprinting’– took palm prints too, occasionally wondering if his hypothesis on the individuality of the fingerprint was also discernible in palm lines.

Aeon· 8 Sept 2026

From Middle French discernable; spelling changed from -a- to -i- in the 17th century to conform to Latin discernibilis. By surface analysis, discern + -ible.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated