discern

Universal Words verb (not used in the progressive tenses) (formal) 1 to know, recognize or understand sth, especially sth that is not obvious: [VN] It is possible to discern a number of different techniques in her work. * He discerned a certain coldness in their welcome. * [Vwh-] It is often difficult to discern how widespread public support is. [also Vthat] 2 [VN] to see or hear sth, but not very clearly: We could just discern the house in the distance. discernible adjective: There is often no discernible difference between rival brands. * His face was barely discernible in the gloom.