as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
these cold, stinging winds are not just a discomfort—they can be dangerous to exposed flesh
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in gouging
to charge (someone) too much for goods or services
a nightclub that's been stinging patrons for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plucking
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
swindlers who sting unwary tourists by posing as officials demanding money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stinging
New Atlas,
30 June 2026
Since September of 2024, federal science agencies in the US have axed nearly 120,000 employees, in a stinging loss for public research.
—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 June 2026
Jean-Philippe Mateta, named in France’s World Cup squad earlier this month, reacted superbly after Rayo keeper Augusto Batalla could only parry a stinging Wharton shot from the edge of the box.
—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Coming up short in the 2025 ISL boys lacrosse championship left a stinging sensation for Tabor Academy.
—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
17 May 2026
Parasitoids are non-stinging wasps, flies, and other insects that develop on or in a host, eventually killing it.
—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
My eyes, raw and stinging, now filled with their own salty tears.
—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
The scientists found both were composed of a fibrous material that contained many stinging cells called spirocysts, which belong exclusively to the branch of aquatic invertebrates known as cnidarians.
—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Andrew Lichtenstein | Corbis News | Getty Images The Senate on Thursday overturned a mining moratorium in Minnesota's Superior National Forest, a boon for a Chilean mining company subsidiary and a stinging loss for environmentalists trying to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
These stinging insects are black with yellow or white bands and are bigger than bees and yellow jackets.
—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
29 June 2026
Finally, YLHs are of interest to public health because these are stinging insects that produce large colonies much bigger than our native stinging insects.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
28 June 2026
Napolski advises placing them in a mesh bag near your patio during an outdoor gathering to keep the stinging insect away.
—
Mallory Carra,
The Spruce,
27 June 2026
However, people who are hypersensitive to other stinging insects are at higher risk of anaphylactic response to Asian needle ant stings.
—
Eva Flowe
june 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 June 2026
Former Kansas guard Kevin McCullar wore goggles in the New York Knicks locker room to protect his eyes from stinging during a champagne-spraying celebration after NY’s 94-90 NBA title-clinching victory over San Antonio on June 13 in Texas.
—
Gary Bedore
june 22,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
All that said, the inability of Illinois’ political leaders to get their act together so as to put an alternative on the table in the face of Indiana’s aggressive move to poach the Bears is a stinging indictment of this state’s politicians.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Adjective
The researchers' device aims to solve the stinging problem by physically preventing this meeting (unfortunately no images of it are available at this time).
—
New Atlas,
30 June 2026
Since September of 2024, federal science agencies in the US have axed nearly 120,000 employees, in a stinging loss for public research.
—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 June 2026
Jean-Philippe Mateta, named in France’s World Cup squad earlier this month, reacted superbly after Rayo keeper Augusto Batalla could only parry a stinging Wharton shot from the edge of the box.
—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Coming up short in the 2025 ISL boys lacrosse championship left a stinging sensation for Tabor Academy.
—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
17 May 2026
Parasitoids are non-stinging wasps, flies, and other insects that develop on or in a host, eventually killing it.
—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
My eyes, raw and stinging, now filled with their own salty tears.
—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
The scientists found both were composed of a fibrous material that contained many stinging cells called spirocysts, which belong exclusively to the branch of aquatic invertebrates known as cnidarians.
—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Andrew Lichtenstein | Corbis News | Getty Images The Senate on Thursday overturned a mining moratorium in Minnesota's Superior National Forest, a boon for a Chilean mining company subsidiary and a stinging loss for environmentalists trying to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
Significant stinging insect infestations like wasps and carpenter bees may also require a specialized plan that isn’t included in your general pest control service.
—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
These stinging insects are black with yellow or white bands and are bigger than bees and yellow jackets.
—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
29 June 2026
Finally, YLHs are of interest to public health because these are stinging insects that produce large colonies much bigger than our native stinging insects.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
28 June 2026
Napolski advises placing them in a mesh bag near your patio during an outdoor gathering to keep the stinging insect away.
—
Mallory Carra,
The Spruce,
27 June 2026
However, people who are hypersensitive to other stinging insects are at higher risk of anaphylactic response to Asian needle ant stings.
—
Eva Flowe
june 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 June 2026
Former Kansas guard Kevin McCullar wore goggles in the New York Knicks locker room to protect his eyes from stinging during a champagne-spraying celebration after NY’s 94-90 NBA title-clinching victory over San Antonio on June 13 in Texas.
—
Gary Bedore
june 22,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
All that said, the inability of Illinois’ political leaders to get their act together so as to put an alternative on the table in the face of Indiana’s aggressive move to poach the Bears is a stinging indictment of this state’s politicians.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stinging
Adjective
-
So Google isn’t trying to release more biting mosquitoes into neighborhoods.
-
Netflix’s big comedy bet might be the Dan Levy–Rachel Sennott co-creation Big Mistakes; the biting, farcical series about adult siblings who get caught up in the drug business plays like Weeds crossed with The Other Two.
Verb
-
To absorb expenses without gouging their customers, leaders must build fiercely lean teams and optimize their talent.
-
Michigan's attorney general has opened a price gouging investigation into a BP gas station near Detroit Metro Airport that prosecutors say charged travelers significantly more for gas than nearby stations.
Verb
-
As with the studio version, the track began with Lifeson plucking out a delicate intro on a nylon-string guitar before blasting into monster electric riffs.
-
Vogue’s beauty shopping editor Kiana Murden became a devotee after plucking it from the beauty closet and using it religiously.
Adjective
-
But to pay that extra and miss out on one of Samsung’s best hardware inventions in years would be a bitter pill to swallow.
-
Many Lebanese also have bitter memories of the decades of Syrian occupation of Lebanon, which began during the Lebanese civil war, initially at the request of Lebanese authorities and with the backing of Arab states, ending in 2005.
Verb
-
And using what looks like a giant pile of gerbil food for half-day cooking projects just feels like cheating.
-
The chapters moved from crime rates to cheating teachers to drug dealers living with their mothers, linking unlikely variables with a kind of intellectual mischief that felt almost illicit.
Verb
-
Of course, attempts to get more revenue out of taxpayers would carry political risks, but voters have been open to squeezing the wealthy.
-
Coach Spencer Carbery has done a masterful job of both squeezing what’s left out of the franchise’s best-ever player — Ovechkin led the Caps in both goals (32) and points (64) in 2025-26 — while simultaneously masking the deficiencies that come with age.
Adjective
-
Tourism in Albania has seen a sharp increase in recent years, with people relishing the nation’s vast, undeveloped coastline.
-
Netanyahu, 76, has spent decades mastering political theater, sharp messaging and grand performances.
Verb
-
As the sun began to rise over the Atlanta skyline on the nation’s 250th birthday, racers, soaking with sweat from head to toe, were locked stride for stride with one another during the 2026 Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race.
-
The Bungalows The resort consists of 135 private bungalows complete with private front porches and verandas, outdoor rain showers and soaking tubs, plush robes, flatscreen TVs, and comfortable beds.
Cite this Entry
“Stinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stinging. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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