Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

ear-piercing

adjective

Definition of ear-piercing 

: shrill and irritating to the ear an ear-piercing shriek

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

First Known Use of ear-piercing

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about ear-piercing

Share ear-piercing

Resources for ear-piercing

Cite Time Traveler Time Traveler! Explore the year a word first appeared

Dictionary Entries near ear-piercing

ear pick

earpiece

ear piercer

ear-piercing

earplug

earring

earringed

Statistics for ear-piercing

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for ear-piercing

The first known use of ear-piercing was circa 1616

See more words from the same year

Comments on ear-piercing

What made you want to look up ear-piercing? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

secrete

to deposit or conceal in a hiding place

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Name that Food Quiz

  • alt-573b465788319
  • Name these cookies!
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games