Search the Dictionary

Without sight, discernment, or understanding; without thought, investigation, knowledge, or purpose of one's own. By his imperious mistress blindly led. Dryden.

bridle to prevent him from seeing objects as his side hence, whatever obstructs sight or discernment. Nor bigots who but one way see, through blinkers of authority. M. Green.

Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; stupid; -- opposed to acute. His wits are not so blunt. Shak.

Acuteness of discernment; cunningness; shrewdness. [R.] Her eagly-eyed callidity. C. Smart.

Pertaining to clairvoyance; discerning objects while in a mesmeric state which are not present to the senses.

llect; a clear head. Mother of science! now I feel thy power Within me clear, not only to discern Things in their causes, but to trace the ways Of highest agents. Milton.

Seeing with clearness; discerning; as, clear-sighted reason

Acute discernment.

n or given to controversy; a controversialist. How unfriendly is the controvertist to the discernment of the critic! Campbell.

In a critical manner; with nice discernment; accurately; exactly. Critically to discern good writers from bad. Dryden.

To perceive, discern, or decide. [Obs.] Granmer.

spy out or discover by the eye, as objects distant or obscure; to espy; to recognize; to discern; to discover. And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. Judg. i. 23. Edmund, I think, is gone . . . to descry The strength o' the enemy. Shak. And now their way to earth they had descried. Milton.

sisting to do evil. E. Hall. To desist from his bad practice. Massinger. Desist (thou art discern'd, And toil'st in vain). Milton.

Possessed of discernment, especially in avoiding error or evil, and in the adaptation of means to ends; prudent; sagacious; judicious; not rash or heedless; cautious. It is the discreet man, not the witty, nor the learned, nor the brave, who guides the conversation, and gives measures to society. Addison. Satire 's my…

The quality of being discreet; wise conduct and management; cautious discernment, especially as to matters of propriety and self- control; prudence; circumspection; wariness. The better part of valor is discretion. Shak. The greatest parts without discretion may be fatal to their owner. Hume.

To set apart as being different; to mark as different; to separate from another by discerning differences; to distinguish. Cowper. To discriminate the goats from the sheep. Barrow.

The quality of being discriminating; faculty of nicely distinguishing; acute discernment; as, to show great discrimination in the choice of means.

ferences between objects, or the qualities by which one is known from others; exercise of discernment; discrimination. To take away therefore that error, which confusion breedeth, distinction is requisite. Hooker.

Having the power to distinguish and discern; discriminating. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Not set apart from others by visible marks; to make distinctive or discernible by exhibiting differences; to mark off by some characteristic. Not more distinguished by her purple vest, Than by the charming features of her face. Dryden. Milton has distinguished the sweetbrier and the eglantine. Nares.…