had been discerning

• past perfect progressive

  past perfect progressive

  Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.

  of discern.
  discern

  verb (used with object)

  to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend.

Related Words

• anticipate
• ascertain
• detect
• determine
• differentiate
• discriminate
• distinguish
• divine
• figure out
• find out
• foresee
• perceive