piercingly

adverb

as in sharply

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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 piercingly As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Chef Steven Pham is still simmering his signature Northern Vietnamese-style pho ga, which features a soul-piercingly clear broth, tender poached chicken, rice noodles, and a floating raft of fresh herbs. — Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026 The Towode Door Stop Alarm is a budget-friendly, highly effective safety tool that functions as a wedge door stop and a piercingly loud alarm when activated. — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2026 In the opening keynote, president of public broadcaster Arte France Bruno Patino provided a bleak yet piercingly precise evaluation of the industry today. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026 Perched along the Dalton Highway and north of the Arctic Circle, Coldfoot has virtually no light pollution, piercingly clear winter nights, and a reputation among aurora chasers for its reliable solar shows. — Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 9 Mar. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercingly
  1. sharply
  2. poignantly
  3. acutely
  4. harshly
  5. keenly
  6. darkly
  7. distressingly
  8. blackly
Adverb
  • Charlottesville has become more Democratic, while rural areas have moved sharply toward Republicans.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Once the company and its shareholders become accustomed to such a financial boost, an environment where individual guest spending sharply increases even when domestic park attendance is soft or steady, there’s likely no turning back.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sharply
Adverb
  • The comparisons between that movie and Elsinore, what with all the Hamlet being performed and poignantly referring back to our characters’ circumstances, have been impossible to ignore.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • That’s a process that can help clarify thoughts, but knowing that no one was behind the dialogue, that the empathy was a technique and not a presence, left me with a sense of being poignantly unheard.
    — Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of poignantly
Adverb
  • Belugas are beautiful, mystical creatures; anyone proximate to them would feel their loss acutely.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • This discontent stems from rising housing prices and is felt particularly acutely in major cities.
    — Pau Mosquera, CNN Money, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of acutely
Adverb
  • Some are condemned swiftly and harshly, others are shrugged off almost entirely.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Meta has been judged harshly for spending billions of dollars on AI without becoming a leader in the technology, so Muse’s popularity surprised some, according to Jefferies senior analyst Brent Thill.
    — Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of harshly
Adverb
  • Royal is also keenly aware of the significance of her AGT victory beyond her own career.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Bimobil The vehicle base in this case was a pristine, deep-red Land Cruiser cab-chassis that exemplifies Bimobil's unflappable travel-anywhere spirit just as keenly as the brand's own expedition camping modules.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of keenly
Adverb
  • Made in Korea, Disney+‘s darkly thrilling K-drama spy series, came to a simmering conclusion on Wednesday as stars Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung faced off for one final game of cat and mouse.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In recent years, Porodina has brought her darkly romantic lens to campaigns for the likes of Dior, Hermès, Skims and Giorgio Armani, and editorials for Vogue, Pop and GQ, among others.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of darkly
Adverb
  • The movie’s strongest sequences provide the all-too-rare sensation of truly not being able to believe your eyes, as the film’s most fantastical elements feel distressingly real.
    — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
  • The event was halted after an hour due to fears about her safety, which distressingly encapsulates a tension that the trans Mayan artist has navigated for years.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
Definition of distressingly
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
  • Saadawi’s unabashedly political, blackly funny contemporary take on the mythos (superb translated by Jonathan Wright, who captures the wry humor and brooding, ominous rhythms of Saadawi’s dark tale) is, however, a true standout in a very crowded field.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2024
Definition of blackly

Browse Nearby Words

piercing
piercingly
pier glass
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Cite this Entry

“Piercingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercingly. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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