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discern

dis·cern

discern

 
pronunciation:
dih suhrn
parts of speech:
transitive verb, intransitive verb
features:
Word Combinations (verb), Grammatical Patterns
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: discerns, discerning, discerned
definition 1: to perceive, make out, or detect.
When the smoke cleared a little, he discerned a figure slumped in a chair.She listened carefully and was able to discern that the man had a slight Swedish accent.[verb + (that) + clause ]
synonyms:
descry, detect, distinguish, perceive
similar words:
ascertain, behold, espy, notice, observe, recognize, see, sight, spot
definition 2: to distinguish or discriminate.
He discerned some sympathizers in the hostile crowd.
synonyms:
discriminate, distinguish, pick out
similar words:
detect, determine, smell, tell
 
part of speech: intransitive verb
definition: to recognize differences; discriminate.
synonyms:
differentiate, discriminate, distinguish
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivation: discerner (n.)