Showing results for "piercing"

• present participle of pierce.

piercing

American  

[peer-sing] / ˈpɪər sɪŋ /

adjective

1. loud or shrill, as the quality of a voice.

   Synonyms:

   screeching, strident, grating

2. extremely cold or bitter.

   a piercing wind.

3. appearing to gaze deeply or penetratingly into something.

   piercing eyes.

4. perceptive or aware; acute.

   a piercing mind.

5. sarcastic or caustic; cutting.

   piercing remarks.

6. having an unpleasantly intense quality or effect.

   a piercing drought.

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noun

• piercings
  plural

1. an act or instance of making a hole or opening in something.

   The cleverly engineered design allows for a safe and smooth piercing of the hose for an easy, watertight installation.

2. the practice or technique of puncturing a body part so that jewelry can be inserted.

   The shop is super clean and they're obviously experts in piercing.

3. a hole or opening made by puncturing: An infected navel piercing can usually be treated with antibiotics.

   The five wall piercings were possibly a reference to the Five Holy Wounds of Christ.

   An infected navel piercing can usually be treated with antibiotics.

4. a ring, stud, or other piece of jewelry inserted through a hole in a body part.

   He wears five silver piercings on his ears.

piercing British  

/ ˈpɪəsɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of a sound) sharp and shrill

2. (of eyes or a look) intense and penetrating

3. (of an emotion) strong and deeply affecting

4. (of cold or wind) intense or biting

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noun

1. the art or practice of piercing body parts for the insertion of jewellery

2. an instance of the piercing of a body part

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• piercingness
  noun
• unpiercing
  adjective
• piercingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• piercings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of piercing

First recorded in 1375–1425; pierce, -ing ²

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Explanation

Piercing means loud or intense, like the piercing scream of the heroine in a horror movie or the piercing cold of the wind on a frigid February morning. The adjective piercing comes from pierce, which means to poke a hole in something with a sharp object. If you've had your ears pierced, you get the idea. Things that are piercing are figuratively sharp, like a piercing look from an angry teacher, the piercing cold of the ocean, or the piercing sound of your smoke detector. There's also a shrewdness or intelligence that can be described as piercing: "The piercing insight in your book report was impressive."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

piercing piercings

Ceramic tiles closer to the front are darker, stained with the unreal heat of piercing the atmosphere.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Although further testing would be needed before the technology could become a practical medical product, the finding suggests a possible route toward monitoring blood sugar without repeatedly piercing the skin.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

The Phantom’s front landing collapsed, piercing the floorboard under the cockpit and rupturing the charge on his ejection seat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

In comparison, Wimbledon runner-up Muchova landed 14 winners and just nine unforced errors as she impressed with smart drop shots and piercing groundstrokes.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

He paused, his eyes fierce, his voice piercing.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Women in headscarves and long coats share the sidewalk with groups of young men and women in baggy jeans with body piercings and tattoos.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

During opening remarks, she told Brendan Shannon, the Wilmington, Del., judge overseeing the case, that she and her friends flocked there for piercings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

What about in vitro fertilization treatments or ear piercings?

From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2025

Thanos, the Internet-bred Alpha male flanked by two sad little hype men, steps up to the young woman with facial piercings and a don’t-mess-with-me attitude, expecting to be worshipped.

From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2025

The piercings were the straw that got her thrown out of that foster home.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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Related Words

• biting
• blaring
• earsplitting
• fierce
• high-pitched
• painful
• penetrating
• shrill

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