penetrating

penetrating

adjective

Definition of PENETRATING

1

: having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading <a penetrating shriek>

2

: acute, discerning <penetrating insights into life>

— pen·e·trat·ing·ly \-ˌtrā-tiŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of PENETRATING

1. She is one of our most penetrating and provocative critical thinkers.
2. an author famous for her penetrating social commentary
3. a penetrating account of what really happened during the crisis
4. flowers that give off a penetrating perfume

First Known Use of PENETRATING

1593

Related to PENETRATING

Synonyms

biting, bitter, keen, cutting, piercing, raw, sharp, shrewd, smarting, stinging

Related Words

brisk, invigorating, nippy, snappy; needlelike, prickly, tingling; caustic, corrosive

Near Antonyms

balmy, gentle, mild, soothing

Rhymes with PENETRATING

aggravating, calculating, carbon dating, fascinating, figure skating, in-line skating, maid-in-waiting, nauseating, open dating, operating, suffocating, titillating

pen·e·trat·ing

adjective    (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of PENETRATING

: having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading <treat hemorrhage from both penetrating injury and blunt trauma—Journal of the American Medical Association>

—pen·e·trat·ing·ly \-ˌtrāt-iŋ-lē\ (audio pronunciation) adverb