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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
And while ground-penetrating radar confirmed the presence of 28 bodies, there are likely more — including smaller graves of children or infants.
—Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 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
The medium admits self-portraiture with obvious ease (just step in front of the camera), but few filmmakers can withstand its penetrating gaze, which is surely why the practice self-selects toward the masters of the art.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
And while ground-penetrating radar confirmed the presence of 28 bodies, there are likely more — including smaller graves of children or infants.
—Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for penetrating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrating
Adjective
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Chad and Darlene confide in each other and bond, a little too closely, over their similar biting humor.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2025
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The following day, during an episode on his Never Shut Up podcast and YouTube show, Wiley compared Clark’s remarks in reaction to Jackson’s defeat to his more biting words following Allen’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in last year’s NFL Divisional Playoff Round.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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If brewed too hot, the green tea will be bitter; some high-end Japanese green tea need temps as cool as 160ºF. If brewed too cool, the black teas will lack sweetness.—
Jesse Raub,
Bon Appétit,
12 Mar. 2025
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The stakes couldn't have been higher, and the atmosphere was electric as the two WWE Superstars prepared to finally settle their bitter grudge.—
Russ Weakland,
EW.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And an image of a woman named Linda Jackson washing her hair in a plastic bin on the Navajo Nation, the striking mountains of Monument Valley piercing the background, was how Elliot Ross shed light on what life is like in America’s water inequality capital.—
TIME Photo Department,
TIME,
20 Dec. 2024
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The She Wolf's howl is as piercing as ever.—
Pamela Avila,
USA TODAY,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Banks that embrace this shift can gain tangible advantages: sharper operations, happier customers and innovation that happens in weeks, not quarters.—
Jitender Jain,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Strange Journey arrives at one of the last moments when its core journey isn’t tinged with melancholy and mortality, with Curry still in strong and enthusiastic form after his 2012 stroke and most of the other principals coming across with sharp, high-personality memories.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Friction should act as a safeguard, especially when choices have long-term implications, such as entering into debt, making a large investment, or choosing financial protection products.—
Alex Kreger,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
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The Rockets are entering one of the trickiest parts of any rebuild.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrating. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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