as in bruising
to cut (someone's flesh) deeply or roughly
The broken glass lacerated his feet. The patient's hand was severely lacerated.
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as in piercing
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Recent Examples of lacerating
Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Irrational violence and lyric visions erupt in lacerating, supremely elegant prose that’s also genuinely funny at times.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
Her diaries, two volumes of which have been published, reveal a wonderful writer, lyrical and self-lacerating.
—Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Irrational violence and lyric visions erupt in lacerating, supremely elegant prose that’s also genuinely funny at times.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacerating
Adjective
-
My piercing call seemed absorbed by the heavy moisture, trapping even the echo I’d been accustomed to hearing.—
Jim Tschetter,
Outdoor Life,
27 Aug. 2025
-
This is a piercing and perceptive psychological thriller.—
Connie Ogle,
Boston Herald,
10 July 2025
Verb
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That same day, a student opened fire at a Colorado high school, critically wounding two peers.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
17 Sep. 2025
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The man suspected of shooting and critically wounding a police officer in northern Georgia on Friday night has been taken into custody after an hourslong manhunt, officials announced.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There is nothing quite like the view from Monterey Bay—jagged coastline and evergreens framing a strip of blue.—
Beth Lew-Williams,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Visitors will find themselves with jaws agape at the striking jagged mountain peaks, looming glaciers, and slick icebergs, all set to the backdrop of moody, misty weather—this is a photographer’s dream adventure.—
Stefanie Waldek,
AFAR Media,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lacerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacerating. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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