as in bruising
to cut (someone's flesh) deeply or roughly
The broken glass lacerated his feet. The patient's hand was severely lacerated.
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as in piercing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lacerating
Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Irrational violence and lyric visions erupt in lacerating, supremely elegant prose that’s also genuinely funny at times.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
Her diaries, two volumes of which have been published, reveal a wonderful writer, lyrical and self-lacerating.
—Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Irrational violence and lyric visions erupt in lacerating, supremely elegant prose that’s also genuinely funny at times.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacerating
Adjective
-
My piercing call seemed absorbed by the heavy moisture, trapping even the echo I’d been accustomed to hearing.—
Jim Tschetter,
Outdoor Life,
27 Aug. 2025
-
This is a piercing and perceptive psychological thriller.—
Connie Ogle,
Boston Herald,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Williams’ brother allegedly shot the man several times, critically wounding him.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
30 Sep. 2025
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Still, Nevo's mind often drifts to the moment in Gaza when Palestinian militants detonated explosives in a home, wounding him and killing two close friends in his army unit.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Along the way, Juano offered bits of mountaineering history and recounted legendary first ascents of the jagged peaks surrounding us.—
Scott Yorko,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
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Karst formations, a porous rock, stick out as jagged protrusions in between lush forest and provide plenty of places for small creatures to hide.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lacerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacerating. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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