penetrating

[ pen-i-trey-ting ]
See synonyms for: penetratingpenetratingly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. able or tending to penetrate; piercing; sharp: a penetrating shriek;a penetrating glance.

  2. acute; discerning: a penetrating observation.

  1. Surgery. noting a wound that pierces the skin, especially a deep wound entering an organ or body cavity.

Origin of penetrating

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; penetrat(e) + -ing2

synonym study For penetrating

2. See acute.

Other words for penetrating

Opposites for penetrating

Other words from penetrating

  • pen·e·trat·ing·ly, adverb
  • pen·e·trat·ing·ness, noun
  • non·pen·e·trat·ing, adjective
  • un·pen·e·trat·ing, adjective
  • un·pen·e·trat·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby penetrating

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penetrating in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for penetrating

penetrating

/ (ˈpɛnɪˌtreɪtɪŋ) /


adjective
  1. tending to or able to penetrate: a penetrating mind; a penetrating voice

Derived forms of penetrating

  • penetratingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012