- present participle of penetrate.
penetrating
Americanadjective
Synonym Usage
See acute.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of penetrating
First recorded in 1590–1600; penetrat(e) + -ing 2
Vocabulary lists containing penetrating
"Animal Wisdom" and "The Last Wolf," Vocabulary from the poems
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Skellig
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Insightful
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Companies are boosting their usage of AI, with the technology now penetrating one in five U.S. businesses, per the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
The long-range Ukrainian drones now penetrating deep inside the country.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Nothing is more sublime than transitioning from Jimin’s penetrating vocals of “You know how we do!” on “2.0” directly to the deep reverberations of the ancient bell that soothe and reset.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
By 2000 we had fielded the first generation of precision standoff weapons and further honed our missile defenses, electronic attack, and penetrating stealth capability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
To this house I came just ere dark on an evening marked by the characteristics of sad sky, cold gale, and continued small penetrating rain.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
