1
as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
that light sweater will be no match for the piercing wind outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in loud
marked by a high volume of sound
the frightened child emitted a piercing shriek that could be heard all over the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in penetrating
to go or come in or into
thoughts of revenge relentlessly pierced her mind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drilling
to make a hole or series of holes in
pierced his ears with a needle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
the saber pierced his chest, releasing a spurt of blood
Synonyms & Similar 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 piercing
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2025
Its piercing alarm is activated with the simple press of a button, which also turns on flashing strobe lights.
—
Kristy Alpert,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Nov. 2025
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
11 June 2026
According to Sadriu, the firearm, which was allegedly loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, was seized as evidence.
—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for piercing
Adjective
Tyler, the Creator’s Don’t Tap the Glass, ironically, is the least piercing and the most hedonistic, by design.
—
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2025
Its piercing alarm is activated with the simple press of a button, which also turns on flashing strobe lights.
—
Kristy Alpert,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
Telefone, the piercing 2016 breakout debut from Noname, turns ten this year, and the Chicago rapper is celebrating it with a late-summer anniversary trek.
—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
11 June 2026
According to Sadriu, the firearm, which was allegedly loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, was seized as evidence.
—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for piercing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercing
Adjective
-
So Google isn’t trying to release more biting mosquitoes into neighborhoods.
-
Netflix’s big comedy bet might be the Dan Levy–Rachel Sennott co-creation Big Mistakes; the biting, farcical series about adult siblings who get caught up in the drug business plays like Weeds crossed with The Other Two.
Adjective
-
Despite a soggy start, the crowd stayed loud and energetic throughout the night.
-
There are loud crowds, and then there are Mexican soccer crowds.
Verb
-
No one admits to having asked a bad question in polite company, yet the difference between a superficial inquiry and a penetrating one often determines whether a company merely iterates or genuinely transforms.
-
Until now, the search for possible graves had been limited to what could be seen beneath the surface using ground-penetrating radar.
Verb
-
Although the video does include a rig that involves drilling a mast beam (or thwart) into the canoe’s upper hull edge ( or gunwales), there is also a route that instead uses clamps.
-
Paramount also must win the approval of British and European regulators, who are known for drilling deeply into media matters because of their influence on society.
Verb
-
The film centers on a New York murder trial where a teenage boy is accused of stabbing his abusive dad and a jury has the kid's fate in their hands.
-
In one instance, the suspect is accused of personally taking part in the killing by stabbing a victim in the chest with a knife, the prosecutors said.
Adjective
-
But to pay that extra and miss out on one of Samsung’s best hardware inventions in years would be a bitter pill to swallow.
-
Many Lebanese also have bitter memories of the decades of Syrian occupation of Lebanon, which began during the Lebanese civil war, initially at the request of Lebanese authorities and with the backing of Arab states, ending in 2005.
Adjective
-
Each time the Swiss team scored, a deafening roar cut through the thick tropical air.
-
The bear was almost on top of us when, with a deafening roar, the shot from both barrels smacked into that enormous shaggy head.
Verb
-
Despite entering the match as overwhelming favorites, Argentina is approaching the match cautiously.
-
British singer Ellie Goulding was spotted entering a car while wearing a black cocktail dress.
Cite this Entry
“Piercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
