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
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Example Sentences
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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
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
But the man with piercing blue eyes pressed her, offering to drive her home.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 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
Sweetsick, which Birch also wrote, follows a mercurial woman (Blanchett) with a strange and piercing gift – the ability to see what others most intimately need, often at great personal cost – who sets out on a journey home.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
But the man with piercing blue eyes pressed her, offering to drive her home.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piercing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercing
Adjective
-
The characters have this sharp, biting, British humor.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
-
There’s Bud the biting cat, played by a feline named Tonic and who deserves a three-picture deal.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
McIlroy received the loudest cheers of the day as his eagle shot dropped in on the par 5.—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
-
And instead of Mulder talking about his fond memories playing for the A’s in Oakland, a loud and repeating beep echoed through the public address system.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Fewer GCRs penetrating to earth’s atmosphere would mean fewer clouds to reflect heat and thus more global warming.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The United States seriously contemplated striking North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor in 1993, even drawing up military plans to attack the site with penetrating munitions delivered by stealth bombers.—
VIPIN NARANG,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The company has yet to disclose financial details of the projects, and so far has requested drilling on small footprints totaling 280 acres.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Their tasks frequently involve manual tools -cutting debris, drilling through rubble, or lifting objects, etc.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement Advertisement Adolescence, a series about a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller (Cooper), who is arrested because he’s accused of stabbing a female classmate, racked up 13 Emmy nominations this year.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
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The homeless felon accused of stabbing a young Ukrainian commuter to death on a Charlotte light rail train comes from a household where run-ins with the law have been a way of life.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Parsley is a biennial that quickly bolts and dies the second year, and since second-year parsley is bitter, it’s typically grown as an annual.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Whenever these bitter rivals have met in recent years, there has never been a shortage of offense.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Rothrock, a Seattle native, made it 3-0 five minutes later, drawing a deafening ovation from the home crowd.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre Visitors will come face-to-face with Leatherface and the deranged Sawyer family amid the deafening roar of chainsaws in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre haunted house.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The new strategy aims to leverage Ford’s iconic brand while simultaneously signaling that the car company is entering a new era, Materazzo said.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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The Zeffy fundraiser that’s raised over $400,000 of its $737,000 goal will help engineers in Gaza buy and reuse materials — as aid entering Gaza is heavily restricted by Israel — to extend the hospital, Jboor and Hawash-Kuemmerle said.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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