discernment
Other forms: discernments
Discernment is the ability to make a smart judgment about something. If you're voting for Student Council President, you need to use discernment to pick the best candidate.
The noun discernment describes a wise way of judging between things, or a particularly perceptive way of seeing things. If you can understand something that's somewhat hidden or obscure — if you figure out the themes of a confusing movie, for example — you're using discernment. It comes from the Latin word discernere, meaning "separate." Discernment separates what's important or true from what's not.
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the cognitive condition of someone who understands
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synonyms:
apprehension, savvy, understanding
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types:
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comprehension
an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as a result)
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self-knowledge
an understanding of yourself and your goals and abilities
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smattering
a slight or superficial understanding of a subject
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appreciation, grasp, hold
understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
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grasping
understanding with difficulty
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hindsight
understanding the nature of an event after it has happened
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brainstorm, brainwave, insight
the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation
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realisation, realization, recognition
coming to understand something clearly and distinctly
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sense
a natural appreciation or ability
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light
mental understanding as an enlightening experience
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revelation
an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
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breakthrough, discovery, find
a productive insight
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flash
a sudden brilliant understanding
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type of:
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knowing
a clear and certain mental apprehension
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the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations
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synonyms:
judgement, judgment, sagaciousness, sagacity
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types:
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eye
good discernment (either visually or as if visually)
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common sense, good sense, gumption, horse sense, mother wit, sense
sound practical judgment
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judiciousness
good judgment
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circumspection, discreetness, discretion, prudence
knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress
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indiscreetness, injudiciousness
lacking good judgment
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logic
reasoned and reasonable judgment
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nous
common sense
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road sense
good judgment in avoiding trouble or accidents on the road
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confidentiality
discretion in keeping secret information
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care, caution, forethought, precaution
judiciousness in avoiding harm or danger
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the trait of judging wisely and objectively“a man of discernment”
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synonyms:
discretion
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types:
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caution, circumspection
the trait of being circumspect and prudent
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prudence
discretion in practical affairs
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precaution
the trait of practicing caution in advance
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chariness, wariness
the trait of being cautious and watchful
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providence
the prudence and care exercised by someone in the management of resources
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frugality, frugalness
prudence in avoiding waste
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delicate discrimination (especially of aesthetic values)
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synonyms:
appreciation, perceptiveness, taste
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types:
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connoisseurship, vertu, virtu
love of or taste for fine objects of art
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style, trend, vogue
the popular taste at a given time
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delicacy, discretion
refined taste; tact
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culture
the tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group
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New Look
a style of women's clothing created by Christian Dior in 1947; involved a tight bodice and narrow waist and a flowing pleated skirt
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fashion
the latest and most admired style in clothes and cosmetics and behavior
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bandwagon
a popular trend that attracts growing support
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counterculture
a culture with lifestyles and values opposed to those of the established culture
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mass culture
the culture that is widely disseminated via the mass media
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letters
the literary culture
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pop culture, popular culture
the art, media, and ideas preferred by ordinary people, rather than the educated elite
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type of:
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discrimination, secernment
the cognitive process whereby two or more stimuli are distinguished
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perception of that which is obscure
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synonyms:
perceptiveness
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type of:
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perception
knowledge gained by perceiving
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perception
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Vocabulary lists containing discernment
This novel, written in the form of a journal, details the life of a New England girl in the 1830s.
This biography, published in the late 19th century, recounts the life of the famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. Read the full text here.
In this science fiction classic, a shipwrecked sailor lands on island where a mad scientist performs unthinkable experiments.
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