Discernible
/dɪˈsɝnɪbl̩/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjPossible to discern; detectable or derivable by use of the senses or the intellect.
Sentence Examples
Her voice was barely discernible.
The distant mountains were barely discernible through the thick fog.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The difference was so slight that it was barely ____ to the naked eye.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Her voice was barely ____.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French discernable; spelling changed from -a- to -i- in the 17th century to conform to Latin discernibilis. By surface analysis, discern + -ible.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"To have demolished and rebuilt the walls, would have been a very costly expedient, and as the least of two evils, the painter's brush was resorted to; here and there however, above some of the windows, the black wreathings of the smoke are still discernible through the white covering."
— 1821, John Duncan, Duncan's Travels:
"So this was my future home, I thought![…]Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams."
— 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
"In 1995, the IPCC declared that the human impact on climate was now “discernible.”"
— 2010, Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway, “Introduction”, in Merchants of Doubt:
"This magnificent picture really stopped me in my tracks when I stumbled across it. I was drawn inexorably and immediately into the compelling detail discernible on this top-quality image."
— 2021 December 1, Nigel Harris, “St Pancras and King's Cross: 1947”, in RAIL, number 945, page 36:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The difference was so slight that it was barely ____ to the naked eye.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Her voice was barely ____.