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
Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Infrared heating pads are even better than standard heating pads, penetrating the skin more deeply for more significant healing effects.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Adjective
Those pictures are much more penetrating then the pictures of walls with bullet holes.
—Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
Verb
The tiny bullet hit the charging bruin in the center of its left eye, penetrating to the brain.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Infrared heating pads are even better than standard heating pads, penetrating the skin more deeply for more significant healing effects.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
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The Chill Factor Perhaps the most biting statistic of the season so far is the temperature.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Morbidly Jewish finds Raanan at his most biting, acerbic, angry, Jewish, and, as always…loud.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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According to court documents, Worden falsely accused her astronaut ex-wife, Anne McClain, of guessing the password to her bank account and improperly accessing it from the space station while the two were going through a divorce.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Its leader, Tarique Rahman, the son of former prime minister and bitter Hasina rival, the late Khaleda Zia, has since returned to Bangladesh after 17 years of exile and now appears the frontrunner to win.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Their 32 points after 25 games have them one above their Sunday hosts and bitter rivals in 13th place in the Premier League, nine clear of the relegation zone.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even better, Liu does it all while flaunting her signature bleached halo-dye hairstyle and smiley piercing.—
Jasmine Wynn,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
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Her diamond dermal piercing was the perfect finishing touch for the emo girl-lite moment.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The crab is mixed with extra-sharp Cheddar for boldness and cream cheese and Havarti for creaminess.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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Using scissors, or knives that aren’t sharp may crush the vascular tissue and prevent the flowers from taking up water, leading to faster decline.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Italy would be allowed to prohibit migrant ships from entering Italian waters for up to 30 days, the Associated Press reported.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
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The footage shows Ragan and another man entering the business armed with guns and pointing them at customers.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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