as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
an icy, penetrating rain that made you feel really miserable
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in accessing
to go or come in or into
a needle penetrated the heavy canvas only with great effort
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penetrating
Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2019
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
And while ground-penetrating radar confirmed the presence of 28 bodies, there are likely more — including smaller graves of children or infants.
—Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for penetrating 
Adjective
Kamitani is one of the world’s leading experts on the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes what the eyes see, and fMRI is one of his most penetrating instruments.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2019
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
Verb
The medium admits self-portraiture with obvious ease (just step in front of the camera), but few filmmakers can withstand its penetrating gaze, which is surely why the practice self-selects toward the masters of the art.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
And while ground-penetrating radar confirmed the presence of 28 bodies, there are likely more — including smaller graves of children or infants.
—Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
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Despite the biting cold, show attendees embraced a minimalist approach to beauty, favoring natural, dewy complexions over heavy makeup.—
Stixx Mathews,
Essence,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Neshat’s Marjan is a bit slippery, oscillating between kind and strict, biting and supportive, self-deprecating and wistful.—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This summer saw a bitter dispute between the U.S. and China over allegations surrounding doping by Chinese swimmers before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and suggestions from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that WADA had not been strong enough in enforcing its rules.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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Their whirlwind political alliance, however, quickly frayed and deteriorated into a bitter feud in an Asian democracy that has long been hamstrung by clashing political clans.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And an image of a woman named Linda Jackson washing her hair in a plastic bin on the Navajo Nation, the striking mountains of Monument Valley piercing the background, was how Elliot Ross shed light on what life is like in America’s water inequality capital.—
TIME Photo Department,
TIME,
20 Dec. 2024
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The She Wolf's howl is as piercing as ever.—
Pamela Avila,
USA TODAY,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Adams case is not the only one that will bring the foolishness of this directive into sharp relief.—
Andrew C. McCarthy,
National Review,
15 Feb. 2025
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Residents in Ventura County reported feeling a sharp jolt and triggered some car alarms.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Rockets are entering one of the trickiest parts of any rebuild.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
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Friction should act as a safeguard, especially when choices have long-term implications, such as entering into debt, making a large investment, or choosing financial protection products.—
Alex Kreger,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near penetrating
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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