- 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.
VENUS, by contrast, produces high-energy neutrons capable of penetrating deeper into large objects and generating detailed 3D images.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
On Sunday rescue workers in China recovered twelve bodies in the Nepal-Tibet border, using excavators, shovels and ground penetrating radar at the site.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
In the 1980s, while Sharp, HP and Casio marketed their scientific calculators to professionals, Texas Instruments was focused on penetrating the education space.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Parkinson said he does not know when search with soil testing and ground penetrating radar will be done.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Now Vasilisa turned her penetrating eyes to Anya.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
