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piercing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpir-siŋ How to pronounce piercing (audio)
Definition of piercingnext
1
as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin that light sweater will be no match for the piercing wind outside

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

piercing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pierce
1
as in penetrating
to go or come in or into thoughts of revenge relentlessly pierced her mind

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2
as in drilling
to make a hole or series of holes in pierced his ears with a needle

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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

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
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
Geddy Lee, Rush No bassist’s singing voice has ever created a more pronounced contrast with his instrument than Rush’s Geddy Lee, who moved the piercing wail of influences like Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant up another octave. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026 But, even more specifically, the story is in dialogue with the British artist David Austen’s minimal and piercing drawings. — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for piercing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercing
  1. biting
  2. loud
  3. penetrating
  4. drilling
  5. stabbing
  6. bitter
  7. deafening
  8. entering
Adjective
  • The pacing is more frenetic, the narration more biting, the flashbacks more jarring, and the comedowns much harsher.
    — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
  • Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026
Definition of biting
Adjective
  • Saphier is nominated for a position that carries limited policymaking power but serves as a loud megaphone as the nation's top communicator to Americans on public health issues.
    — FATIMA HUSSEIN, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Indeed, Seider is back now, and the fallout from the loud summer looms.
    — Max Bultman, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of loud
Verb
  • Although limited in pitch, their often booming, penetrating sound served crucial roles in early human communication and culture, particularly for signaling across long distances and for ceremonies and other rituals.
    — Kara Rogers, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Ukraine has spent years using its drone arsenal to great effect, both in its wartime front with Russian forces and in penetrating deep into Russian territory for daring aerial attacks on fuel and commercial infrastructure.
    — Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of penetrating
Verb
  • The company is drilling toward rock measuring 750°F (400°C), where each well could deliver up to 10 times the power of a conventional geothermal well operating at 390°F (200°C).
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • And the best part is that Stark didn't have to start drilling holes in the battery or remove half the motorcycle to achieve it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of drilling
Verb
  • Armstrong’s first symptoms, at age 11, were stabbing pains on her left side that repeatedly sent her to the school nurse.
    — Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Wardlaw stands accused of stepping into Jordan Harbst’s path on the Greenbelt, knocking Harbst off his scooter and stabbing him to death in the early morning hours of July 6, according to the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office.
    — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Adjective
  • After years of upheaval in Florida State athletics—including a then-unprecedented flirtation with private equity and a bitter legal fight with the Atlantic Coast Conference—the school has parted ways with athletic director Michael Alford.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Of course, Kiffin left, a bitter and acrimonious separation that played out over 14 agonizing days, just as the Rebels prepped for their first College Football Playoff game in history.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of bitter
Adjective
  • By the time Obsession made it to TIFF, the buzz on social media had become deafening.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Before the researchers could start sampling it, though, a deafening roar suddenly filled the tunnel.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of deafening
Verb
  • The smart glasses users, some in California, allege the gadget captured footage of themselves and family members undressing, going to the bathroom, having sex and entering passwords.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Since no one reported seeing any suspicious individuals entering or leaving the Borden property that morning, police were led to believe the killer must have already been inside the home.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of entering

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pierces
piercing
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Cite this Entry

“Piercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercing. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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