as in sharply
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Recent Examples of piercingly
His lashes are long, the eyes deep-set, large and intense, staring piercingly into you.
—
Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
How could the woman who wrote so piercingly about women’s subjugation subjugate herself to not just one but two men?
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
How could the woman who wrote so piercingly about women’s subjugation subjugate herself to not just one but two men?
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercingly
Adverb
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Miami also bounced back sharply, jumping 82 percent to 40 sales, while London slipped to seventh place with just 35 deals.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
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If the states don’t reach a deal, federal officials could sharply cut Arizona’s water starting next year, and at that point, a lawsuit is likely, Buschatzke said.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Perhaps more poignantly, various DOJ and FBI officials have refused to pursue the administration’s agenda to go after journalists, with a number resigning their positions, Deadline can confirm.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
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Two chairs were poignantly left empty in the ceremony space to honor Will's parents.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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But the neighborhood still feels fragile, acutely sensitive to any uptick in crime and any drop-off in city services.—
Michael Powell,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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As Congress edges closer to Friday’s funding deadline that could shutter the Department of Homeland Security, lawmakers in both parties are warning that the consequences may be most acutely felt by those traveling.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Recent changes narrowing the kinds of tasks agencies can perform when funding lapses also mean that shutdowns have the potential to hit a larger number of Americans more harshly than before, Abigail André, the executive director of the Impact Project, told me.—
Toluse Olorunnipa,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2026
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The plaintiffs allege that Black employees in the office were disciplined more harshly than their colleagues, denied accommodations and subjected to escalating retaliation after raising concerns about Johnson’s leadership.—
Chaya Tong,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Plus Russia has been expanding its drone capabilities in the war against Ukraine – a war keenly supported by Panov.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
8 Feb. 2026
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Konate’s absence on compassionate leave following the death of his father has also been keenly felt.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The darkly comic horror-thriller stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as coworkers stranded on a desert island.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Feb. 2026
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Shot on gorgeous 35mm film, this darkly comedic horror flick is a nostalgic cinephile's dream.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The pipeline of new antibiotics remains distressingly thin, and most drugs currently in development are structurally similar to existing antibiotics, potentially limiting their effectiveness.—
André O. Hudson,
The Conversation,
21 Jan. 2026
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That can be forgiven thanks to the film’s evocative imagery and the emotional resonance of its central themes, distressingly familiar to anyone who has ever lost themselves in a relationship.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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What at first appears to be a run-of-the-mill trauma drama about a family dealing with the eldest child’s anorexia nervosa gradually evolves into something odder and more original, even blackly comic, in Ungrateful Beings.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piercingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercingly. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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