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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On a recent Saturday afternoon, several thousand people gathered in Union Square, in the biting cold, for a rally in support of trans youth.—
Emily Witt,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
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Now, 72 hours after being purged because they were considered probationary workers, a biting reality has set in for many of them.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The bitter exchange was unlike any other in the Oval Office in modern times. 13:43 With Ukraine's future in the balance, a high-stakes meeting on Friday between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into a shouting match.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2025
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Their bond defies centuries of tradition, where vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
27 Feb. 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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But low trust in media and institutions, political gridlock, lobbyist influence and sharp inequalities persist.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
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Hamas had been displaying living hostages and coffins carrying hostage remains on stage in front of a crowd in Gaza before handing them over, to sharp criticism including from the United Nations.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 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 13 Mar. 2025.
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