Synonyms for piercing
- adjective
- noun
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Penetrating
penetrating, cutting, sharp, keen, acute, biting, incisive, shrill, penetrative, stabbing, poignant, pungent, smart, bleak, discriminating, knifelike, lancinating, stinging, caustic, exquisite, trenchant, perceptive
Noun
Definitions
- adj. 1
Appearing to look deeply into; penetrating.
- n. 1
gerund of pierce
Related words
- Word family
- piercingly piercingness
- Phrases
- septum piercing ear-piercing
Forms
- Plural
- piercings → penetrations, perforations, impalements, borings…
Example sentences
- cutting Banks are cutting lending to industrial borrowers.
- biting You don't have to play outside in the biting wind.
- penetrating Helium is capable of penetrating glass.
- incisive Your incisive criticism will deflate a lot of egos.
- pricking By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| piercing | rising | |
| cutting | steady | |
| biting | rising | |
| penetrating | steady | |
| incisive | steady | |
| pricking | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- raw1
- 4 letters
- keen1
- 5 letters
- smart1, sharp1, acute2, noisy2, bleak1
- 6 letters
- boring2, biting2, shrill1
- 7 letters
- cutting2, caustic2, pungent2, gimlety
- 8 letters
- shooting2, stabbing2, poignant2, stinging2, incisive3, pricking
- 9 letters
- exquisite3, trenchant2, knifelike2
- 10 letters
- perceptive3, impalement
- 11 letters
- penetration4, penetrating4, perforation4, penetrative, lancinating, transfixion
- 14 letters
- discriminating5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (acute2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- perçant