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discerning - 5 dictionary results

dis⋅cern⋅ing

   [di-sur-ning, -zur-]
–adjective
showing good or outstanding judgment and understanding: a discerning critic of French poetry.
Origin:
1600–10; discern + -ing 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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dis·cern     (dĭ-sûrn', -zûrn')  Pronunciation Key 
v.   dis·cerned, dis·cern·ing, dis·cerns

v.   tr.
  1. To perceive with the eyes or intellect; detect.
  2. To recognize or comprehend mentally.
  3. To perceive or recognize as being different or distinct; distinguish. See Synonyms at see1.
v.   intr.
To perceive differences.

[Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere, to separate : dis-, apart; see dis- + cernere, to perceive; see krei- in Indo-European roots.]
dis·cern'er n.
dis·cern·ing     (dĭ-sûr'nĭng, -zûr'-)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.   Exhibiting keen insight and good judgment; perceptive.
dis·cern'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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discerning

adjective
1. having or revealing keen insight and good judgment; "a discerning critic"; "a discerning reader" [ant: undiscerning] 
2. unobtrusively perceptive and sympathetic; "a discerning editor"; "a discreet silence" 
3. quick to understand; "a kind and apprehensive friend"- Nathaniel Hawthorne [syn: apprehensive] 
4. able to make or detect effects of great subtlety; sensitive; "discerning taste"; "a discerning eye for color" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Discerning

Dis*cern"ing\, a. Acute; shrewd; sagacious; sharp-sighted. --Macaulay.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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