Definition of secernnext
as in to differentiate
to understand or point out the difference in those philistines who seemingly cannot secern artistic depiction of the nude from blatant pornography

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for secern
Verb
  • These are placed in P6 cell culture dishes and differentiated by an orbital shaker.
    Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Younger siblings often play more dangerous sports, research shows, as a way to differentiate themselves.
    Tim Rohan, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Since launching her Senate run in December, the progressive firebrand has distinguished herself with an unconventional campaign, eschewing traditional advice regarding key tenets of campaigning, such as fundraising and advertising output.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 9 Feb. 2026
  • This approach has distinguished thousands of individual types of brain cells, many more than previously known.
    Amber Dance, Quanta Magazine, 9 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Secern.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secern. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!