discern
Definitions
To perceive or make something out, especially with difficulty
看清，辨认出（常指费力地）
To recognize or distinguish one thing from another
辨别，区分
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveddis- (apart) + cern (sift, separate) = to sift things apart with the eyes or mind. The Roman sieve that separated grain from chaff became the mental act of telling things apart: to discern a shape in the dark, or to discern good arguments from bad ones.
Root cern still carries 28 more wordsUsage Guide
Formal and slightly bookish. In everyday speech people prefer "make out" (perceive) or "tell apart" (distinguish): I could just make out his face in the dark rather than I could discern his face. Common in writing: discern a pattern, discern between X and Y.
Example Sentences
- 1.
It was too dark to discern anything more than vague shapes.
- 2.
A good editor can quickly discern a strong argument from a weak one.
- 3.
Investors struggled to discern any clear pattern in the data.
- 4.
She could discern a faint note of sarcasm in his voice.
Easily Confused
discern vs distinguish — Both mean "tell apart," but discern leans toward perceiving something faint or hidden (discern a shape in fog), while distinguish leans toward marking a clear difference between known things (distinguish a fake from the real one). If you can barely see it → discern; if you're contrasting two clear things → distinguish.