1
as in to notice
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
barely able to discern the garden gate through the mist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to differentiate
to understand or point out the difference in
too young to discern between right and wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to understand
to have a clear idea of
we're still trying to discern the meaning of that cryptic remark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discern
Since the birth of the twins, the Clooneys have been very discerning about choosing work projects to ensure Alexander and Ella take priority.
—
Kayla Grant, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Palantir’s data-integration platform pledged to discern obscure patterns that might otherwise elude human analysts.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Critical Thinking In a world awash with data, the ability to discern signals from noise is invaluable.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
For the best laughs, peer into the past to discover some specials for the first time, or revisit old favorites to discern their staying power.
—Will Digravio, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discern
Kayla Grant, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Palantir’s data-integration platform pledged to discern obscure patterns that might otherwise elude human analysts.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Critical Thinking In a world awash with data, the ability to discern signals from noise is invaluable.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
For the best laughs, peer into the past to discover some specials for the first time, or revisit old favorites to discern their staying power.
—Will Digravio, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discern
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discern
Verb
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have been spotted out and about with their three children, and people are noticing their closeness.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
7 Mar. 2025
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The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas keeps a tally of layoff notices.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Structure and Ownership: Estimations may differentiate between single-family offices (SFOs), which serve one family, and multi-family offices (MFOs), which serve multiple families.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Does your insurance differentiate between visits to urgent care or ER?—
Katia Hetter,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The real stories of the game and its people from someone who lives it and understands it better than any member of the media who has never played the game ever could.—
Jon Krawczynski,
The Athletic,
8 Mar. 2025
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Addressing play aggression requires understanding the behavior and consistently implementing appropriate techniques to ensure a happy and balanced home environment.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The trailer above, which dropped on Wednesday, introduces you to the new couples fighting to see if their love can withstand temptation and drama, but there’s a catch.—
Gabriela Silva,
TVLine,
26 Feb. 2025
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The platform also released a teaser trailer (see above) and some first-look photos (see above and below).—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The war in Gaza has resulted in more than 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, distinguished as the richest person in the world, has been especially controversial since Trump's inauguration.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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An small, undisturbed fishing town with untouched charm, it's not known to many—although word is slowly spreading.—
Mariah Tyler,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2025
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Emmy and Golden Globe winner Goodman, a beloved screen vet, is well known for series including Roseanne, The Conners and The Righteous Gemstones and movies such as The Big Lebowski, The Flinstones and Monsters Inc.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Fans have spotted the alter egos on billboards all around the country, as well as on Roan’s Instagram.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
4 Mar. 2025
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The claim concerned the rushed dealing to infuse money into the fledgling league, a rush that deprived DCP of a chance to conduct the type of due diligence that might have spotted some of the problems that later surfaced.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Scientists had long thought that deciphering those qualities — collectively known as prosody — happened in the superior temporal gyrus, an area of the brain associated with speech perception.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
3 Mar. 2025
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His annual press conference, to be held later in the week, will be closely watched to decipher China’s stance on U.S.-China relations under Trump.—
TIME,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discern.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discern. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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