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Glite Dictionary
to secern

to secern

9.9
To tell similar things apart by noticing small differences
  • verb
  • /sɪˈsɜrn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : distinguir
  • The botanist could easily secern the two species based on their leaf structures.

Examples

  • It is important to secern genuine artifacts from clever imitations.

  • Children quickly secern right from wrong as they mature.

  • Can you secern the meaning behind her words?

  • It is important to secern between right and wrong.

  • Parents help their children secern the differences between a lie and the truth.

  • As a historian, she could secern between original documents and forgeries with ease.

  • You must secern the relevant details from the overwhelming amount of information presented.

Synonyms

to separate
vsto secern
225 2.3

To tell how two things are different

focuses on noticing and recognizing differences rather than arranging them
to distinguish
vsto secern
177 3.1

To notice differences between things or people

focuses on discerning differences through perception and judgement
to differentiate
vsto secern
71 4.4

To show or notice how things are different

is about perceiving difference rather than actively creating distinction
to tell apart
vsto secern
41 3.0

To notice a difference between two similar things

is the more formal idea of deliberate recognition by discernment
to discriminate
vsto secern
31 4.2

To notice small differences between things

emphasizes separating by careful discernment rather than casual noticing
to set apart
vsto secern
2 3.9

To keep something separate for a special use or to show it as different

is concerned with recognizing difference without assigning special function
to secernate
vsto secern
  • Archaic
9.9

To show that two people or things are not the same

is the same meaning but presents a variant or rarer form

Antonyms

to confuse
142 1.9

Think one person or thing is another by mistake

How Distinct

to secern
  • Archaic
9.9
to discern
70 5.8
to identify
∞ 1.8
to recognize
  • US
∞ 1.4
to notice
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

secern infinitive
secerned past
secerned past participle
secerning present participle
secerns third person singular

Etymology

Secern comes from the Latin parts se- ('apart') and cernere ('to sift' or 'to separate'). A helpful link is the familiar word discern — both share cernere and mean to 'tell things apart' or notice a difference, which is what secern means today.