The meaning of DISCERN is to detect with the eyes. How to use discern in a sentence.

Understanding and comprehending (Definition of discern from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

1. to perceive by the sight or other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend. 2. to distinguish mentally; discriminate: to discern right from wrong.

Some of the connotations are easy to discern. This sometimes means clutching at the slightest indicators to discern a trend. All this makes it almost impossible to discern the underlying trends in …

If you can make out, pick out, or distinguish something, you can discern it. This is a word for recognizing and perceiving things. Discerning has to do with being able to see or hear something. In …

see, recognize, or apprehend: They discerned a sail on the horizon. discriminate: He is incapable of discerning right from wrong. to distinguish or discriminate. dis•cern′er, n. 1. discover, descry, espy. …

Mar 14, 2026 · (transitive) To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate or discriminate. He was too young to discern right from wrong.

What does discern mean? Discern means to recognize small details, accurately tell the difference between similar things, and make intelligent judgements by using such observations.

The purpose of the study is to discern [= identify] patterns of criminal behavior. There is no discernible difference between the original and the copy. The original and copy aren't discernibly different.

Discern is a verb which means to perceive, recognize, or distinguish something, often requiring careful thought or attention. It can also refer to the ability to judge something well.