as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
an icy, penetrating rain that made you feel really miserable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
Primarily, there are beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) courtesy of lipo hydroxy acid (LHA), a deep-penetrating chemical exfoliant that gently sloughs off old, dead cells to reveal brighter, fresher skin.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 12 Jan. 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
Use a high-quality mattress protector that encases your mattress to keep it clean and prevent most allergens from penetrating.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
Primarily, there are beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) courtesy of lipo hydroxy acid (LHA), a deep-penetrating chemical exfoliant that gently sloughs off old, dead cells to reveal brighter, fresher skin.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
-
The Chill Factor Perhaps the most biting statistic of the season so far is the temperature.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Morbidly Jewish finds Raanan at his most biting, acerbic, angry, Jewish, and, as always…loud.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Thousands of Microsoft customers reported difficulty Thursday accessing the technology company's suite of Microsoft 365 services, including email platform Outlook, Teams and other tools.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a fairly faithful rendition of the original, with bushy broccoli rabe as the bitter green of choice.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
After their murders, their families sat in the bitter cold and grieved, waiting for the prime minister, Imran Khan, to come and mourn with them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
They have been placed one by one atop dressmaker pins, piercing the appendage all over.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
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The iconic spire of the Sustainability & Innovation Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai rises in the background, subtly piercing the mist.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The numbers mark a sharp reversal from a spike in violence during the worst years of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The blazer of Middleton’s look included sharp shoulders with sinuous lapels and angular pockets at the waist.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Employees of the consulate stopped the agent from entering, the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a statement.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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Over the last several days, many Americans have seen upsetting, and often violent, images and videos of protests in Minneapolis amid a flood of ICE agents entering the city for a federal immigration enforcement operation.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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