discerning

dis·cern·ing

adj \di-ˈsər-niŋ\

Definition of DISCERNING

: showing insight and understanding : discriminating <a discerning critic>

— dis·cern·ing·ly \-ˈsər-niŋ-lē, -ˈzər-\ adverb

Examples of DISCERNING

1. She has a discerning eye for good art.
2. <a discerning critic of modern art>
3. Why should a discerning writer concern himself with such movies as Troy, Alexander, or 300? The answer is that he is uniquely qualified to transmute such trash into illuminating visions of the culturally confused age in which we live. —G. W. Bowersock, New York Review of Books, 6 Nov. 2008
4. Many of FreshDirect's customers say they are using the service because food shopping in Manhattan can be agonizing. But the question is whether discerning food shoppers will trust it. —Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2002
5. Who reads short stories? one is asked, and I like to think that they are read by men and women in the dentist's office, waiting to be called to the chair; they are read on transcontinental plane trips … they are read by discerning and well-informed men and women who seem to feel that narrative fiction can contribute to our understanding of one another and the sometimes bewildering world around us. —John Cheever, The Story and Its Writer, 1987

First Known Use of DISCERNING

1589

Related to DISCERNING

Synonyms: wise, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sagacious, sage, sapient

Antonyms: unperceptive, unwise

Related Words: acute, penetrating, percipient, perspicacious; experienced; discriminating, discriminative; brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, keen, nimble, quick, quick-witted, smart; cerebral, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly; astute, clearheaded, piercing, sharp, shrewd; contemplative, reflective, thoughtful

Near Antonyms: dense, dull, obtuse, purblind, woodenheaded; brainless, dumb, feebleminded, foolish, idiotic (also idiotical), imbecile (or imbecilic), knuckleheaded, moronic, silly, simple, slow, slow-witted, stupid, thoughtless, unintelligent, witless; undiscriminating

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