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
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Recent Examples of piercing
Dwight Garner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Only Jean-Baptiste could make such a screed so funny, so piercing and so devastating.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2025
James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The grotesque details—the uncle’s fingernails piercing his hands, the dog’s permanent terror of rabbits—are simply there.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piercing
Adjective
What spooks Vara is that A.I. writes what are possibly her essay’s most piercing lines.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Only Jean-Baptiste could make such a screed so funny, so piercing and so devastating.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
Produced before the gag order was lifted, the four-part docuseries One Night in Idaho turns its focus to the families, friends and community members still wrestling with the aftermath, offering a piercing look at a case with many unanswered questions.
—James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The grotesque details—the uncle’s fingernails piercing his hands, the dog’s permanent terror of rabbits—are simply there.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piercing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercing
Adjective
-
But usually the administration official doesn’t fight back in such a biting way.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Over nearly three decades, Baumbach has built a career chronicling families in crisis and artists at the crossroads, his films combining biting wit with an unflinching emotional honesty.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Their noise got loudest at night when the city became quiet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Sports radio can be loud and raucous, blaring with bluster and bellowing.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His company, Echo, sidesteps the problem, using not a chip with probes, but a thin film that sits on the brain without penetrating it.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Ask penetrating questions, examine key assumptions, search for pivotal turning points, and consider multicausal explanations of events and developments.—
John T. Shaw,
Twin Cities,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Peterson didn’t disappoint either, drilling a top-10 Louisville team for 26 points on 15 shots, including six 3s in only 25 minutes, before sitting out Kansas’ second preseason game against Fort Hays.—
Sam Vecenie,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The decision on whether to open up the Arctic to further drilling should have been made by the Indigenous people of Alaska, Shea said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The trail through this passage is narrow and lined with signature desert plants — which is to say my path became a gauntlet of tiny, stabbing swords.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Jared Luecke, 33, is facing murder and tampering with evidence charges and is accused of repeatedly stabbing John Luecke with a knife and hitting him with a crowbar, according to court records.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
He was chosen as commissioner in October 1989 over New Orleans general manager Jim Finks after a bitter fight highlighting the differences between the NFL's old guard and newer owners.—
NPR,
NPR,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Arugula Arugula is an aromatic, slightly bitter leafy green.—
Lauren O'Connor,
Health,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
But the film’s eventual record-breaking success was a deafening rebuttal from his loyal fanbase.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Those calls will only become more deafening unless the Mavs start winning games in bunches.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ballard said in August, when asked why he should be trusted to turn the team around given his lackluster resume entering Year 9.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Hall wanted to leave New York, as the team is entering a rebuild after trading away some of its best players.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercing. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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