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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in penetrating
to go or come in or into
thoughts of revenge relentlessly pierced her mind
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of piercing
Jeff Brady, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024
Compulsively readable, wildly entertaining, and filled with sharp social insight, The List is a piercing and dazzlingly clear-sighted debut about secrets, lies, and the internet.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024
Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 3 Oct. 2024
Blaring guitars and clashing drums are paired, and piercing synths turn up the volume on Gartland’s alt-pop, making for a dynamic project exploring the inherent chaos of romance.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piercing 
Adjective
For the piercing and tattoo shop, that changeover started last September with checking the building's insulation and air sealing to determine what size heat pumps were needed.
—Jeff Brady, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024
Compulsively readable, wildly entertaining, and filled with sharp social insight, The List is a piercing and dazzlingly clear-sighted debut about secrets, lies, and the internet.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024
Verb
With Bose’s 60th Anniversary Diamond Edition ones especially, the white is piercing and not difficult to spot.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 3 Oct. 2024
Blaring guitars and clashing drums are paired, and piercing synths turn up the volume on Gartland’s alt-pop, making for a dynamic project exploring the inherent chaos of romance.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piercing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercing
Adjective
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After Leaving Mr Mackenzie Jean Rhys, 1931 Rhys was one of those amazing, tragic, ahead-of-her-time women and her life mirrored that of Julia, the main character in this book, which is a raging scream against the patriarchy and a biting critique of how women are viewed.The Week UK, theweek, 2 Aug. 2024
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The sketch seemed to be SNL’s attempt to balance the cold open’s levity with a more biting tone about the wearying stakes of deciding the nation’s leadership.Amanda Wicks, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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This occurs when an object vibrates after being hit by sound waves at a higher amplitude, like when a drummer hits a drum and the instrument and air vibrate to create a loud sound.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024
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The peak level of noise, measured at roughly six miles away, was as loud as a gunshot at close range, per the New York Times.Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Since his debut, the legendary hypeman has continued penetrating people's hearts worldwide through multiple realms, including music, The Olympics, reality television, and snack foods.Kenneth J. Williams Jr., Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
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Under his leadership, Hezbollah launched exploding and reconnaissance drones deep into Israel, penetrating its defense systems which had mostly focused on the group’s rockets and missiles.Kareem Chehayeb, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2024
Verb
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Whereas the first movie featured in particular explicit gun violence, Folie à Deux includes mostly harm via stabbing or blunt force trauma.Jack Smart, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
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Austin also expressed condolences to Gallant over a shooting and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv yesterday in which six people were killed, which Israeli police have called a terrorist attack.Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Anyone who requires evidence need only look at Steve Cooper, who found to his detriment that crossing the bitter East Midlands divide from Nottingham Forest to Leicester City was an insurmountable task.Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
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Cooking with beer concentrates its flavors, amplifying any bitter notes.Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Zoom out: While these protests may be vociferous, there's an equally deafening volume of grievances the SEC sees.Hope King, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024
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McBride’s defense turned into offense that later induced more deafening pops from The Garden crowd.Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2024
Verb
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Texas insists its requirements are reasonable measures to protect children, not unlike lawful requirements to verify a customer's age before purchasing liquor or entering a strip club.Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2024
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This keeps oxygen from entering the bottle, which, in turn, preserves open wine for up to four weeks.Jenny Berg, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Facebook / East Haven Police Department A man has been arrested after allegedly punching a pregnant woman and biting a medic’s hand in a violent carjacking attempt at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru in Connecticut, police said.Jon Haworth, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2024
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When the victim refused, Rodriguez began punching her.Jon Haworth, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near piercing
Cite this Entry
“Piercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercing. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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