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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Such an aircraft would be designed for penetrating surveillance, long-range communications, and intelligence gathering, and would be less likely to be detected.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2025
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
Coppola asks a few penetrating questions.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Such an aircraft would be designed for penetrating surveillance, long-range communications, and intelligence gathering, and would be less likely to be detected.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
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The characters have this sharp, biting, British humor.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
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There’s Bud the biting cat, played by a feline named Tonic and who deserves a three-picture deal.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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After accessing servers under Jubair’s control, the criminal complaint said, investigators found bitcoins that a blockchain analysis determined had been paid by victims.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
19 Sep. 2025
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The nearly 25-year-old business organization declined to share the name of the affected company, but said that other members still didn’t have clarity on a consistent process for accessing the minerals.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yerevan now found itself in a hopeless situation, bereft of any real allies, its military in tatters, and an increasingly bitter Armenian public.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Sep. 2025
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While this is a bane to many gardeners (bolting often renders plants bitter, woody, and inedible), in this strife also lies opportunity for those gardeners aiming toward environmental stewardship.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The region’s oft-sung-about grayness turns neon, swirling together in a piercing hue of evergreen and dark blues.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
16 Sep. 2025
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When Kim Kardashian and her 12-year-old daughter were spotted in Rome recently, the masses zeroed in on the dermal piercing North West had in her middle finger.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Starring Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, a single mother whose genius-level IQ lands her a consulting role with the LAPD, the series blends sharp humor with high-stakes investigations.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Slices of lusciously marbled brisket have a sharp, peppery bark, and the pork ribs are tinged pink with smoke straight down to the bone.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That cohort is also entering the job market as companies experiment with artificial intelligence.—
Carlos Waters,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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In 2022, Florida weathered a bad outbreak of meningococcal disease, a type of fast-moving bacterial infection that can become fatal after entering the bloodstream or the lining of the brain and spinal cord.—
Jamie Ducharme,
The Atlantic,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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