as in sharply
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar 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 piercingly
His lashes are long, the eyes deep-set, large and intense, staring piercingly into you.
—
Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
How could the woman who wrote so piercingly about women’s subjugation subjugate herself to not just one but two men?
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
How could the woman who wrote so piercingly about women’s subjugation subjugate herself to not just one but two men?
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercingly
Adverb
-
When powered by renewable energy, electric roads can sharply reduce transport emissions.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
-
After accounting for its large interest expenses, those margins turn sharply negative.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
In times of increasing cynicism and apathy in the zeitgeist, this phantasm extravaganza — at once humorously deadpan in its playful tableaus and poignantly sincere at its emotional core — feels like a breath of fresh air.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Oct. 2025
-
These reminders, that rewards are built into our criminal-justice system while closure and peace are harder to come by, land more poignantly than the story of Gein’s outsize influence on Psycho and Alfred Hitchcock’s disappointment that audiences wanted more of it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
This shared historical reality is why this moment resonates so acutely.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Retailers have felt this acutely, especially those selling discretionary items such as costume jewelry, crafts and furniture, which consumers often forgo to afford groceries, utilities and rent.—
Aaron Gregg,
Arkansas Online,
29 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
In a press conference later in the day, Mayor Frey, 44, harshly condemned the actions of ICE in his city and pushed back against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) claims that the agent involved in the fatal shooting acted in self defense.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
One of his non-Jewish primary opponents, Palm Coast City Council member Charles Gambaro, harshly criticized Fine’s Gaza remarks and declared that Gambaro, too, would seek AIPAC’s endorsement.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Tucker remains the biggest name available on the market, with the Toronto Blue Jays among the clubs keenly interested in adding the outfielder.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Ancient and not-so-ancient cultures were keenly aware of the sun’s annual cycle in the sky, and many worshipped it.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
21 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Over the course of the season, Tommy and his father slowly tighten their bond, a process punctuated with darkly comic lines that both puncture and reflect Thornton’s and Elliott’s undeniable chemistry and gravitas.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Known for his spare, unforgiving style and darkly comic fatalistic sensibility, along with his penchant for leather jackets, lots of smoking and a deadpan sense of humor, Tarr was a quintessential arthouse filmmaker.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The running game is a mess, Carson Wentz is often running for his life, and the defense proved distressingly vulnerable to big plays in last weekend’s 28-22 loss to Philadelphia.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
-
And yet, distressingly, this early stage is too often where the lists of possible awards contenders start to get narrowed down.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
What at first appears to be a run-of-the-mill trauma drama about a family dealing with the eldest child’s anorexia nervosa gradually evolves into something odder and more original, even blackly comic, in Ungrateful Beings.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piercingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercingly. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share