as in piercing
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in bruising
to cut (someone's flesh) deeply or roughly
The broken glass lacerated his feet. The patient's hand was severely lacerated.
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lacerating
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
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
Adam Bradley Luis Alberto Rodriguez Carlos Nazario, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
While Carol doesn’t have that much in common with Kim Wexler on Better Call Saul, Seehorn’s lacerating wit is a defining feature for both and gives this show a refreshing comic edge from the start.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
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
Verb
The songs are at times over-the-top, at others lacerating in their introspection about everything from the anxiety of aging to the anguished choice to terminate a pregnancy.
—Adam Bradley Luis Alberto Rodriguez Carlos Nazario, New York Times, 9 Oct. 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
Adjective
-
Rose now realizes the smeared, dark, jagged edges are an abstract human.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
All the shadows and jagged angles evoke German Expressionism, distorting Ronnie’s confrontation into something both surreal and terrifyingly recognizable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nidal Hasan committed a mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The most jarring example is the June 20, 2021 massacre in Richmond, where SSL-502 members allegedly opened fire at a house party where people were celebrating the Guatemalan Summer Solstice, killing three and wounding four.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lacerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacerating. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share