Ascertaining — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb /ˌa-sər-ˈtān/ as·cer·tain

Meaning & Definition of Ascertaining

Ascertaining (verb)

  1. to find out or learn with certainty
  2. to make certain, exact, or precise

Ascertaining (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to come to an awareness of

    "was immediately able to ascertain that the girl was uncomfortable talking about her life at home"

    similar: catching on (to), discovering, finding out, getting on (to), hearing, learning, realizing, seeing, wising (up), getting wind of
    related: hitting (on or upon), tumbling (to), descrying, detecting, encountering, espying, spotting, calculating, doping (out), figuring out, finding, puzzling (out), discerning, minding, noting, observing, perceiving, divining
    near: missing, overlooking, disregarding, ignoring, forgetting, unlearning, blanketing, blotting out, cloaking, concealing, covering, curtaining, enshrouding, hiding, masking, occulting, screening, shrouding, veiling

  2. to come upon after searching, study, or effort

    "ascertained that their old colonial-era house had once functioned as a tavern"

    similar: descrying, detecting, determining, digging out, digging up, discovering, dredging (up), ferreting (out), finding, finding out, getting, hitting (on or upon), hunting (down or up), learning, locating, nosing out, rooting (out), routing (out), rummaging, running down, scaring up, scouting (up), tracking (down), turning up
    related: espying, sighting, spotting, looking for, searching (for or out), seeking
    opposite: missing, overlooking, passing over
    near: losing, mislaying, misplacing, missetting

Related Entry: Ascertain (verb)

Ascertain is a different word from Ascertaining. The synonyms below are for ascertain, not for ascertaining.

  1. to come to an awareness of

    "was immediately able to ascertain that the girl was uncomfortable talking about her life at home"

    similar: catch on (to), discover, find out, get on (to), hear, learn, realize, see, wise (up), get wind of
    related: hit (on or upon), tumble (to), descry, detect, encounter, espy, spot, calculate, dope (out), figure out, find, puzzle (out), discern, mind, note, observe, perceive, divine
    near: miss, overlook, disregard, ignore, forget, unlearn, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, enshroud, hide, mask, occult, screen, shroud, veil

  2. to come upon after searching, study, or effort

    "ascertained that their old colonial-era house had once functioned as a tavern"

    similar: descry, detect, determine, dig out, dig up, discover, dredge (up), ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), hunt (down or up), learn, locate, nose out, root (out), rout (out), rummage, run down, scare up, scout (up), track (down), turn up
    related: espy, sight, spot, look for, search (for or out), seek
    opposite: miss, overlook, pass over
    near: lose, mislay, misplace, misset

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Ascertaining

The most common words with a similar meaning to Ascertaining:

catching on (to), discovering, finding out, getting on (to), hearing, learning, realizing, seeing, wising (up), descrying, detecting, determining, digging out, digging up, dredging (up), ferreting (out), finding, getting, hitting (on or upon), hunting (down or up), locating, nosing out, rooting (out), routing (out), rummaging, running down, scaring up, scouting (up), tracking (down), turning up, getting wind of

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Ascertaining

Words with the opposite meaning of Ascertaining:

missing, overlooking, passing over

Related Words for Ascertaining

tumbling (to), encountering, espying, spotting, calculating, doping (out), figuring out, puzzling (out), discerning, minding, noting, observing, perceiving, divining, sighting, looking for, searching (for or out), seeking

Near Antonyms of Ascertaining

disregarding, ignoring, forgetting, unlearning, blanketing, blotting out, cloaking, concealing, covering, curtaining, enshrouding, hiding, masking, occulting, screening, shrouding, veiling, losing, mislaying, misplacing, missetting

Word Forms of Ascertaining

Inflections: ascertained, ascertains

Derived words: ascertainable (adjective), ascertainment (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Ascertaining

Middle English acertainen to inform, give assurance to, from Anglo-French acerteiner, from a- (from Latin ad-) + certein, certain certain

First known use: 15th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Ascertaining

What does "Ascertaining" mean?

"Ascertaining" means to find out or learn with certainty. As a verb, it is defined as: to find out or learn with certainty. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Ascertaining"?

Other words for "Ascertaining" include catching on (to), discovering, finding out, getting on (to), hearing, learning, realizing and seeing. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Ascertaining" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Ascertaining"?

There are 49 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Ascertaining". Common alternatives include catching on (to), discovering, finding out, getting on (to), hearing, learning, realizing, seeing, wising (up) and descrying.

What is the opposite of "Ascertaining"?

Antonyms of "Ascertaining" include missing, overlooking and passing over. Near antonyms include disregarding, ignoring, forgetting and unlearning.

How do you use "Ascertaining" in a sentence?

Examples of "Ascertaining" in a sentence: "was immediately able to ascertain that the girl was uncomfortable talking about her life at home"; "ascertained that their old colonial-era house had once functioned as a tavern".

Is "Ascertaining" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Ascertaining" is a verb.

How do you pronounce "Ascertaining"?

"Ascertaining" is pronounced /ˌa-sər-ˈtān/ and divided into syllables as as·cer·tain.

What is the origin of the word "Ascertaining"?

"Ascertaining" comes from Middle English acertainen to inform, give assurance to, from Anglo-French acerteiner, from a- (from Latin ad-) + certein, certain certain. First known use: 15th century.