as in to differentiate
to understand or point out the difference in those philistines who seemingly cannot secern artistic depiction of the nude from blatant pornography

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for secern
Verb
  • There, Burns expertly broke down the physical and personality characteristics that differentiate the four animals.
    Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 23 July 2025
  • That’s what differentiates Tesla from other carmakers: its fans are well known for volunteering their own time, famously helping in earlier years with the end-of-quarter push to deliver cars to new owners.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 22 July 2025
Verb
  • The returning echoes are instantly analyzed by onboard AI to distinguish between debris, rocks, and soft tissue which would likely indicate a human body.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
  • Goleman’s work popularized the idea that a high EQ could distinguish great leaders from merely smart ones.
    Ted Ladd, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Secern.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secern. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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