discerning means of keen insight or selective judgement; perceptive. It carries an Arena rating of 1718, earned across 13 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, discerning ranks #299 of 42,747 for Qualifying, #1,373 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,519 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,880 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
discerning is pronounced /dɪˈsɜː.nɪŋ/.
Why “discerning” is a great word
Having or showing keen insight, good judgment, and the ability to distinguish subtle differences. From the Old French discerner, from the Latin discernere ("to separate, divide, distinguish"), from dis- ("apart") and cernere ("to sift, separate, decide"). Unlike "perceptive," which emphasizes the simple act of noticing, or "judgmental," which implies harsh criticism, discerning denotes a positive, critical act of evaluation. It is the taster who identifies the single note of black cherry in a complex Bordeaux, the listener who separates the counterpoint from the melody in a fugue, and the reader who feels the precise weight of a chosen word—a quiet, learned rebellion against the blur of the world.
adj
- Of keen insight or selective judgement; perceptive.e.g.“The discerning customer will appreciate our new range of quality clothing.”
noun
- discernmente.g.“Either his notion weakens, his discernings / Are lethargied” — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, publishe
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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