piercing

[ peer-sing ]

/ ˈpɪər sɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR piercing ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Words nearby piercing

pier glass, pier table, pierce, pierce's disease, pierced, piercing, piercing saw, piercy, pierhead, pieria, pierian

Origin of piercing

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at pierce, -ing²

SYNONYMS FOR piercing

1 grating, strident, screeching.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR piercing ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM piercing

pierc·ing·ly, adverbpierc·ing·ness, nounun·pierc·ing, adjective

Definition for piercing (2 of 2)

pierce

[ peers ]

/ pɪərs /

verb (used with object), pierced, pierc·ing.

to penetrate into or run through (something), as a sharp, pointed dagger, object, or instrument does.

to make a hole or opening in.

to bore into or through; tunnel.

to perforate.

to make (a hole, opening, etc.) by or as by boring or perforating.

to make a way or path into or through: a road that pierces the dense jungle.

to penetrate with the eye or mind; see into or through: She couldn't pierce his thoughts.

to affect sharply with some sensation or emotion, as of cold, pain, or grief: The wind pierced her body. Her words pierced our hearts.

to sound sharply through (the air, stillness, etc.): A pistol shot pierced the night.

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

SYNONYMS FOR pierce

1 enter, puncture.

8 touch, move, strike, thrill.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR pierce ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM pierce

pierce·a·ble, adjectivepierc·er, nounun·pierce·a·ble, adjective

synonym study for pierce

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. 2020

Examples from the Web for piercing

“Hell yeah,” he says with a smile and a piercing, blue-eyed stare.
My Bizarre Night With James Deen, Libertarian Porn Star|Emily Shire|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thunderous sounds announce its arrival, piercing the silence that accompanies sundown in the swampland near Boystown, Liberia.
Rage Against the Ebola Crematorium|Abby Haglage|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sensitive subjects are met with a short burst of laughter, and serious answers are sandwiched between a piercing gaze.
A Belgian Prince, Gorillas, Guerrillas & the Future of the Congo|Nina Strochlic|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the most piercing observations of the article is that while those who had worked with him trusted Welby, no one knew him.
UK’s No 1 Churchman Doubts Existence of God: The Archbishop of Canterbury Thinks Deep When Running With His Dog|Tim Teeman|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

His piercing azure eyes are complemented by a new addition to his appearance: a septum piercing in his nose.
‘Boyhood’ Star Ellar Coltrane: An Astonishing Debut 12 Years in the Making|Kevin Fallon|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was an elderly man, with hard features and piercing eyes, who received me almost brutally, as if I had been a criminal.
The Clique of Gold|Emile Gaboriau
Montbarts was a young man of about seven or eight-and-twenty, with manly and marked features, and a fixed and piercing eye.
The Buccaneer Chief|Gustave Aimard
But over their tumult there came a wild outburst of piercing shrieks.
The Scapegoat|Hall Caine
Towards three o'clock in the morning Herbert uttered a piercing cry.
The Mysterious Island|Jules Verne
With a piercing yell she turned and fled, and with such precipitancy that she pulled the net off the handle.
The Uttermost Farthing|R. Austin Freeman

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 of piercing

piercingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for piercing (2 of 3)

pierce

/ (pɪəs) /

verb (mainly tr)

to form or cut (a hole) in (something) with or as if with a sharp instrument

to thrust into or penetrate sharply or violentlythe thorn pierced his heel

to force (a way, route, etc) through (something)

(of light) to shine through or penetrate (darkness)

(also intr) to discover or realize (something) suddenly or (of an idea) to become suddenly apparent

(of sounds or cries) to sound sharply through (the silence)

to move or affect (a person's emotions, bodily feelings, etc) deeply or sharplythe cold pierced their bones

(intr) to penetrate or be capable of penetratingpiercing cold

Derived forms of pierce

pierceable, adjectivepiercer, noun

Word 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

piercing

adjective

Words related to piercing

Words nearby piercing

Origin of piercing

SYNONYMS FOR piercing

OTHER WORDS FROM piercing

Definition for piercing (2 of 2)

verb (used with object), pierced, pierc·ing.

verb (used without object), pierced, pierc·ing.

Origin of pierce

SYNONYMS FOR pierce

OTHER WORDS FROM pierce

synonym study for pierce

Examples from the Web for piercing

British Dictionary definitions for piercing (1 of 3)

adjective

noun

Derived forms of piercing

British Dictionary definitions for piercing (2 of 3)

verb (mainly tr)

Derived forms of pierce

Word Origin for pierce

British Dictionary definitions for piercing (3 of 3)

noun