as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
an icy, penetrating rain that made you feel really miserable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
These coatings are typically lifetime-guaranteed to prevent stains from penetrating the porous surface, which can give you extra peace of mind.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 6 June 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
Some are invasive, while others don’t involve penetrating the egg.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
These coatings are typically lifetime-guaranteed to prevent stains from penetrating the porous surface, which can give you extra peace of mind.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
-
So Google isn’t trying to release more biting mosquitoes into neighborhoods.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
-
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.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Boyd, a fourth-generation farmer and longtime civil rights advocate, said generations of Black farmers have faced barriers accessing government loans and agricultural assistance programs.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
Plus, accessing the storage compartment doesn’t require you to move every piece of decor in the process.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
The ruling adds to a string of legal setbacks for Musk in his increasingly bitter feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
-
While this winter was colder and snowier than previous years, snowfall on the ground acted much like a blanket for ticks, providing shelter and warmth against the bitter cold temperatures.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
In shallow water, children may fall or land on a dive stick, resulting in serious piercing injuries.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
12 June 2026
-
Telefone, the piercing 2016 breakout debut from Noname, turns ten this year, and the Chicago rapper is celebrating it with a late-summer anniversary trek.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
The rotations were sharp, hedges were hard and defensive possessions ended one-and-done.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
-
Perrotta’s novels have been lavishly praised for their uncanny ability to articulate dark, often uncomfortable emotional truths of American culture, using humor and sharp observational skills to explore profound shifts in how people communicate and coexist.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Neighbors said the victim was a condo board president who blocked the suspect from entering the complex to protect a tenant in the building before he was fatally shot.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Those sites were designed to look real enough to trick people into entering credit card details, passwords or other sensitive information.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
