Synonyms of penetrating

penetrating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpe-nə-ˌtrā-tiŋ 

as in biting

causing intense discomfort to one's skin

an icy, penetrating rain that made you feel really miserable

Synonyms & Similar Words

• biting
• bitter
• sharp
• piercing
• brisk
• stinging
• cutting
• keen
• shrewd
• raw
• smarting
• caustic
• corrosive
• invigorating
• snappy
• needlelike
• prickly
• tingling
• nippy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gentle
• mild
• soothing
• balmy

penetrating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of penetrate

as in accessing

to go or come in or into

a needle penetrated the heavy canvas only with great effort

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accessing
• piercing
• entering
• invading
• stepping into
• setting foot in
• infiltrating
• bursting (in or into)
• dropping in
• encroaching
• waltzing (in)
• intruding
• popping (in)
• wandering (into)
• straying (into)
• barging (in)
• breezing (in)
• trespassing
• infringing
• crashing
• gate-crashing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• leaving
• departing
• exiting

Examples of penetrating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Kamitani is one of the world’s leading experts on the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes what the eyes see, and fMRI is one of his most penetrating instruments. —Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2019

Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight. —Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022

That is irrefutable thanks to the bipartisan January 6th committee’s powerful and penetrating report released on Thursday. —Maya Wiley, The New Republic, 23 Dec. 2022

Even the most penetrating rhetoric is not an anti-missile defense system. —David Remnick, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2022