as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
an icy, penetrating rain that made you feel really miserable
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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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of penetrating
Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2019
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
PCMAG, 27 Nov. 2024
Using a helicopter equipped with a ground-penetrating electromagnetic imaging system, scientists have scanned up to 1,000 feet underground to map optimal areas for recharging aquifers — including channels left by ancient rivers that lie hidden beneath alluvial fans in the valley.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for penetrating 
Adjective
Kamitani is one of the world’s leading experts on the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes what the eyes see, and fMRI is one of his most penetrating instruments.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2019
Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022
Verb
Quad 2-watt speakers (tweeters and woofers) produce surprisingly loud and clear sound, with crisp, penetrating highs and a snap of bass.
—PCMAG, 27 Nov. 2024
Using a helicopter equipped with a ground-penetrating electromagnetic imaging system, scientists have scanned up to 1,000 feet underground to map optimal areas for recharging aquifers — including channels left by ancient rivers that lie hidden beneath alluvial fans in the valley.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
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Her awful journey is a raging scream against the patriarchy and a biting critique of how women are viewed, especially by other women.The Week US, theweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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As playwright, Barbot sits between them, turning the mainstream obscurity of his protagonists into a biting political point, and reflecting poignantly on the long arc of history, which sure seems to take its sweet time bending toward justice.Sara Holdren, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The two are likely headed for a new bitter legal fight with money at stake.Alina Selyukh, NPR, 11 Dec. 2024
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The pith can be bitter, so some people don’t like the taste.Merve Ceylan, Health, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Surveillance camera video of the strike showed huge fireballs piercing the darkness and slamming into the ground at astonishing speed.Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
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With its spire once again piercing the Parisian sky, Notre Dame is poised to reclaim its role as a global beacon of faith and art.THOMAS ADAMSON AND SYLVIE CORBET THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The policy modestly increased subsidized enrollment in 2018 and 2019 after a sharp decline in 2017.Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
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Small business owners tend to lean Republican and the sharp increase in confidence had been widely anticipated by economists.Lucia Mutikani, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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That’s an ominous sign for higher education leaders, who now must prepare to address a slow, continuing slide in high-school seniors, who make up the bulk of their entering students every year.Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
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Consider the contrast felt between entering a library and entering an event space.Julie Kratz, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near penetrating
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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