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

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

• piercingly
  adverb
• piercingness
  noun
• unpiercing
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of piercing

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

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

They entered the world the way babies should, with piercing cries announcing their arrival.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

Claire's, founded in the US, first appeared on British high streets in the late 1990s selling jewellery and accessories mainly aimed at tween and teenage girls, and offering ear piercing services.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Lowery explores the wounds inflicted by fame’s piercing orbit, implying that absolution isn’t attained by climbing stardom’s echelons, but by falling just before reaching the top, hitting every last regret on the way down.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

This minaudière from Schiaparelli features a gold-plated metal chain and rhinestone piercing, bringing the idea of a statement bag to levels unheard of.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

He looked up at me, his gaze once again piercing into mine.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

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