Get Affordable VMs - excellent virtual server hosting


browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
discernment

more about discernment

discernment


  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Discernment  \Dis*cern"ment\,  n.  [Cf.  F.  discernement.] 
  1.  The  act  of  discerning. 
 
  2.  The  power  or  faculty  of  the  mind  by  which  it  distinguishes 
  one  thing  from  another;  power  of  viewing  differences  in 
  objects,  and  their  relations  and  tendencies;  penetrative 
  and  discriminate  mental  vision;  acuteness;  sagacity; 
  insight;  as  the  errors  of  youth  often  proceed  from  the 
  want  of  discernment. 
 
  Syn:  Judgment;  acuteness;  discrimination;  penetration; 
  sagacity;  insight.  --  {Discernment},  {Penetration}, 
  {Discrimination}.  Discernment  is  keenness  and  accuracy 
  of  mental  vision;  penetration  is  the  power  of  seeing 
  deeply  into  a  subject  in  spite  of  everything  that 
  intercepts  the  view;  discrimination  is  a  capacity  of 
  tracing  out  minute  distinctions  and  the  nicest  shades  of 
  thought.  A  discerning  man  is  not  easily  misled;  one  of  a 
  penetrating  mind  sees  a  multitude  of  things  which  escape 
  others  a  discriminating  judgment  detects  the  slightest 
  differences. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  discernment 
  n  1:  the  cognitive  condition  of  someone  who  understands;  "he  has 
  virtually  no  understanding  of  social  cause  and  effect" 
  [syn:  {understanding},  {apprehension},  {savvy}] 
  2:  delicate  discrimination  (especially  of  aesthetic  values); 
  "arrogance  and  lack  of  taste  contributed  to  his  rapid 
  success";  "to  ask  at  that  particular  time  was  the  ultimate 
  in  bad  taste"  [syn:  {taste},  {appreciation},  {perceptiveness}] 
  3:  perception  of  that  which  is  obscure  [syn:  {perceptiveness}] 
  4:  ability  to  make  good  judgments  [syn:  {sagacity},  {sagaciousness}, 
  {judgment},  {judgement}] 
  5:  the  trait  of  judging  wisely  and  objectively;  "a  man  of 
  discenment"  [syn:  {discretion}] 




more about discernment