1. past tense of discern; perceived or recognized with difficulty by sight or with the mind
2. past tense of discern; distinguished between different things or made fine distinctions

Examples

• She discerned a figure moving in the shadows.
• The teacher discerned improvement in his writing skills.
• Through the fog, we barely discerned the outline of the building.
• He discerned the difference between the two similar paintings.
• The detective discerned important clues at the crime scene.
• She discerned a note of sadness in his voice.
• The expert discerned the authentic artwork from the forgery.