piercing - definition, thesaurus and related words from WordNet-Online

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Adjective piercing has 5 senses

acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp - having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations"
Antonyms: unperceptive, unperceiving (indirect, via perceptive)
piercing, shrill, sharp - high-pitched and sharp; "piercing screams"; "a shrill whistle"
Antonyms: low, low-pitched (indirect, via high)
cutting, keen, knifelike, piercing, stabbing, lancinate, lancinating - as physically painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain"
Antonym: dull (indirect, via sharp)
incisive, piercing - suitable for cutting or piercing; "incisive teeth"; "the piercing needle"
Antonym: dull (indirect, via sharp)
piercing - loud and sharp; "the piercing shriek of sirens"
Antonyms: euphonious, euphonous (indirect, via cacophonous)

Verb pierce has 5 senses

pierce - cut or make a way through; "the knife cut through the flesh"; "The path pierced the jungle"; "Light pierced through the forest"
--₁ is one way to penetrate, perforate
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
pierce - move or affect (a person's emotions, bodily feelings, etc.) deeply or sharply; "The cold pierced her bones"; "Her words pierced the students"
--₂ is one way to affect, impress, move, strike
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
pierce - sound sharply or shrilly; "The scream pierced the night"
--₃ is one way to sound
Sample sentence:
Something ----s something
pierce, thrust - penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument
--₄ is one way to penetrate, perforate
Sample sentence:
Something ----s something
pierce - make a hole into; "The needle pierced her flesh"
--₅ is one way to penetrate, perforate
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something