What does discerning mean

Time Traveler for discern The first known use of discern was in the 14th century See more words from the same century. Style: MLA. Kids Definition of discern. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? Love words? Need even more definitions? Just between us: it's complicated. Ask the Editors 'Everyday' vs. What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively". Literally How to use a word that literally drives some pe Translator tool. What is the pronunciation of discern?

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Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans. Sign up now or Log in. Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Follow us. Choose a dictionary. Discerning is also the continuous - ing form of the verb discern.

As an adjective, it can be used to describe someone who has the ability to discern or to describe such an ability. The ability to do this or the process of doing it is called discernment , as in Only through careful discernment can you tell a genuine artifact from the work of a counterfeiter.

Things that can be identified or distinguished in such a way can be described as discernible. A close synonym of discerning is discriminating not in the prejudicial sense. The first records of discerning as an adjective come from the s. To be discerning is to be able to tell things apart—to separate them, even when they appear to be very similar. People who are discerning are able to make keen observations about things. A person with a discerning palate may be able to discern flavors that others cannot.

This ability is often associated with wisdom and experience. What are some other forms related to discerning? What are some words that share a root or word element with discerning? Discerning is a somewhat formal word and is typically used in serious contexts.

Investors who once blindly piled in to commercial property are likely to think twice now. A discerning palate is prime cat behavior. Lots of people dismiss it as 'finicky' which isn't fair to our feline friends.