Discern — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

detect with the senses

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dˈaʊnlɪŋk/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪsˈɜːn/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪsˈɜːn/

2 syllables Say it as /dˈaʊnlɪŋk/.

Examples

The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards
I can't make out the faces in this photograph

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

distinguish spot tell apart recognise pick out make out recognize

Parts of Speech

verb	detect with the senses “The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards”

Word Forms

discernible	adjective	capable of being perceived clearly
discernment	noun	perception of that which is obscure

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

erkennen

mit den Sinnen erkennen

🇫🇷French

discerner

détecter avec les sens

🇪🇸Spanish

discernir

detectar con los sentidos

🇮🇹Italian

discernere

individuare con i sensi

🇳🇱Dutch

onderscheiden

detecteren met de zintuigen

🇵🇹Portuguese

discernir

detectar com os sentidos

🇷🇺Russian

различать

обнаружить с помощью органов чувств

India

🇮🇳Hindi

पहचानना

इंद्रियों से पता लगाएं

🇧🇩Bengali

উপলব্ধি করা

ইন্দ্রিয় দিয়ে সনাক্ত করা

🇮🇳Tamil

அறிய

புலன்களைக் கொண்டு கண்டறியவும்

🇮🇳Telugu

గుర్తించు

ఇంద్రియాలతో గుర్తించండి

🇮🇳Marathi

ओळखणे

इंद्रियांनी शोधा

🇮🇳Gujarati

પારખવું

ઇન્દ્રિયોથી શોધો

🇮🇳Kannada

ವಿವೇಚಿಸಿ

ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಗಳಿಂದ ಕಂಡುಹಿಡಿಯಿರಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിവേചിക്കുക

ഇന്ദ്രിയങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ട് കണ്ടുപിടിക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸਮਝਣਾ

ਇੰਦਰੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਪਤਾ ਲਗਾਓ

🇵🇰Urdu

سمجھنا

حواس کے ساتھ پتہ لگانا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

辨别

用感官检测

🇯🇵Japanese

識別する

感覚で検知する

🇰🇷Korean

분별하다

감각으로 감지하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

phân biệt

phát hiện bằng giác quan

🇹🇭Thai

แยกแยะ

ตรวจจับได้ด้วยประสาทสัมผัส

🇮🇩Indonesian

melihat

deteksi dengan indra

🇵🇭Filipino

umunawa

tuklasin gamit ang mga pandama

🇲🇾Malay

membezakan

mengesan dengan pancaindera

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تمييز

كشف مع الحواس

🇮🇷Persian

تشخیص دادن

با حواس تشخیص دهید

🇹🇷Turkish

ayırt etmek

duyularla tespit etmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַבחִין

לזהות עם החושים

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'discern'?

The primary meaning of 'discern' is 'detect with the senses'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'discern' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'discern' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'discern' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'discern' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'discern' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'discern' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'discern' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'discern' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'discern' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'discern' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted