piercing
[ peer-sing ]
/ ˈpɪər sɪŋ /
adjective
loud or shrill, as the quality of a voice.
extremely cold or bitter: a piercing wind.
appearing to gaze deeply or penetratingly into something: piercing eyes.
perceptive or aware; acute: a piercing mind.
sarcastic or caustic; cutting: piercing remarks.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
pierce, pierce's disease, pierce, franklin, pierce, john, pierced, piercing, piercing saw, piercingly, piercy, pierhead, pieria
SYNONYMS FOR piercing
Related forms
pierc·ing·ly, adverbpierc·ing·ness, nounun·pierc·ing, adjectiveDefinition for piercing (2 of 2)
pierce
[ peers ]
/ pɪərs /
verb (used with object), pierced, pierc·ing.
verb (used without object), pierced, pierc·ing.
to force or make a way into or through something; penetrate: to pierce to the heart.
Origin of pierce
1250–1300; Middle English percen < Old French perc(i)er < Vulgar Latin *pertūsiāre, verbal derivative of Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundere to bore a hole through, perforate, equivalent to per- per- + tundere to strike, beat
Related forms
pierce·a·ble, adjectivepierc·er, nounun·pierce·a·ble, adjectiveSynonym study
1. Pierce, penetrate suggest the action of one object passing through another or making a way through and into another. The terms are used both concretely and figuratively. To pierce is to perforate quickly, as by stabbing; it suggests the use of a sharp, pointed instrument which is impelled by force: to pierce the flesh with a knife; a scream pierces one's ears. Penetrate suggests a slow or difficult movement: No ordinary bullet can penetrate an elephant's hide; to penetrate the depths of one's ignorance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for piercing
British Dictionary definitions for piercing (1 of 3)
piercing
/ (ˈpɪəsɪŋ) /
adjective
(of a sound) sharp and shrill
(of eyes or a look) intense and penetrating
(of an emotion) strong and deeply affecting
(of cold or wind) intense or biting
noun
the art or practice of piercing body parts for the insertion of jewellery
an instance of the piercing of a body part
Derived Forms
piercingly, adverbBritish Dictionary definitions for piercing (2 of 3)
pierce
/ (pɪəs) /
verb (mainly tr)
Derived Forms
pierceable, adjectivepiercer, nounWord Origin for pierce
C13 percen, from Old French percer, ultimately from Latin pertundere, from per through + tundere to strike
British Dictionary definitions for piercing (3 of 3)
Pierce
/ (pɪəs) /
noun
Franklin. 1804–69, US statesman; 14th president of the US (1853–57)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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