Definitions Related words Phrases Mentions Lyrics History Colors (New!)

Literary notes about discover (AI summary)

The word "discover" in literature functions on multiple levels, serving as both a literal act of uncovering hidden objects and a metaphor for learning deeper truths. For instance, it is used to portray a tangible revelation—the identification of a mysterious tree carrying a life-giving fruit ([1]) or the unearthing of previously unknown stars ([2])—while also representing intellectual pursuits such as investigating principles or uncovering secrets in human relationships ([3], [4]). Moreover, "discover" is employed to highlight the unfolding of personal insight and self-realization ([5], [6]), and it can carry a tone of urgency or wit when a character seeks to expose deceptions or navigate complex challenges ([7], [8]). In this way, the term enriches narrative layers, bridging the physical act of finding with the deeper journey of understanding, as seen in diverse contexts across dramatic and philosophical texts ([9], [10]).
  1. [and you will be able at once to discover which tree it is that bears the fruit which renders you immortal—the Amrita]....
    — from Demonology and Devil-lore by Moncure Daniel Conway
  2. The old astronomer said, "Give me a larger eye, and I will discover new stars and suns ."
    — from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein
  3. Our problem then is to discover what texts were available to them in 1593 and who were the priests who formed the editorial board.
    — from Doctrina Christiana
  4. I examined all my apparatus, however, with great attention, and could discover nothing out of order.
    — from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe
  5. The world was to me a secret, which I desired to discover; to her it was a vacancy, which she sought to people with imaginations of her own.
    — from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
  6. But when, in my desire to discover my own place within my species, I consider its different ranks and the men who fill them, where am I now?
    — from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  7. Patience is required to discover the shortest way of doing this.
    — from Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney
  8. On my lighting the candle she seemed uneasy, and said that the light might discover us if anybody came up to the fourth floor.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  9. He has to discover the truth and must fight the opposite.
    — from Criminal Psychology: A Manual for Judges, Practitioners, and Students by Hans Gross
  10. For the credit of human nature, I am always pleased to discover some good qualities in those men whom party has represented as tyrants and monsters.
    — from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon

More usage examples

Also see: Google, News, Images, Wikipedia, Reddit, BlueSky


Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Random word   Help


Color thesaurus

Use OneLook to find colors for words and words for colors

See an example

Literary notes

Use OneLook to learn how words are used by great writers

See an example

Word games

Try our innovative vocabulary games

Play Now

Read the latest OneLook newsletter issue: Threepeat Redux