as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
an icy, penetrating rain that made you feel really miserable
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in accessing
to go or come in or into
a needle penetrated the heavy canvas only with great effort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penetrating
Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
David Szondy
march 29, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
Made with 93% natuarally extracted snail secretion, this daily moisturizer provides deep-penetrating hydration and is excellent for strengthening the skin barrier.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Adjective
Those pictures are much more penetrating then the pictures of walls with bullet holes.
—Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
Verb
By penetrating Soviet airspace, the spyplane was able to provide the West with accurate information about the true number of Soviet bombers and ICBMs, which were a tiny fraction of what Moscow claimed.
—David Szondy
march 29, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
Made with 93% natuarally extracted snail secretion, this daily moisturizer provides deep-penetrating hydration and is excellent for strengthening the skin barrier.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
-
Much like the days getting longer and the air less biting, a sure harbinger that spring is coming is the 33rd annual West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Naperville.—
Annie Alleman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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As the nation bonded as one over the past two weeks biting nails, screaming at wins, wincing at crashes and choking up at all the beautiful moments of Olympic competition, another group of athletes were – and still are – out honing their multi-level championship skills.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Those who fly the small, lightweight aircraft of different stripes were restricted for nearly four years from accessing the airport by ground and taking off in their ultralights.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
-
After his arrest in June 2025, he was placed on administrative leave and prohibited from accessing school property, Campbell said.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Coming in tandem with currently skyrocketing oil prices and new sets of tariffs imposed by the president to replace the earlier ones, this situation is an especially bitter pill for low-income and even average families whose budgets are already stressed.—
Robert Hormats,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
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Hemp vs marijuana The hemp industry and the licensed marijuana industry have been in a bitter battle.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Harden, 36, with his famous, protruding beard and those dark, piercing eyes, was determined to use his star power to get his way, to bring with him a slice of comfort to a new city.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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With one quick push of a button, BLINGSTING Safety Alarms ear-piercing 125-decibel personal alarm sounds, intended to startle an aggressor and immediately alert bystanders that there’s a problem.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The graph showed a flat line with a single sharp spike in the middle.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Bird replaced Cruz but wasn’t any sharper, walking Otto Lopez on four pitches and then plunking pinch-hitter Griffin Conine to load the bases.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The tightening of the reins in the British Mandate for Palestine comes as Adolf Hitler and Germany invade Poland, triggering the beginnings of World War II, and as Jewish refugees fleeing persecution begin entering the region.—
Zach Dennis,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
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Refrain from entering water that might carry an electric current and avoid walking through floodwaters.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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