Showing results for "piercing"

• present participle of pierce.

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

• piercings
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• piercingness
  noun
• unpiercing
  adjective
• piercingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• piercings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of piercing

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

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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

See Examples For:

piercing piercings

That ceasefire has been a "breath of fresh air", said the 38-year-old father with piercing blue eyes.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Although further testing would be needed before the technology could become a practical medical product, the finding suggests a possible route toward monitoring blood sugar without repeatedly piercing the skin.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

Ear-piercing chain Rowan is introducing a new store format featuring private piercing suites and higher-end materials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

That day in January, Lee Arguello was on her couch in the living room, just steps away from the front door, when she heard Vela Gonzalez’s piercing scream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Reverend Finney was tall and intimidating: His voice boomed, his face grimaced and frowned, and his eyes stared, piercing and cold.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Women in headscarves and long coats share the sidewalk with groups of young men and women in baggy jeans with body piercings and tattoos.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

On a recent Wednesday evening, 60ish farmers wearing trucker hats joined colleagues in their 20s sporting piercings in Vauxhall’s community center to sign Sylvestre’s petition for a referendum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

She also opted to get additional ear piercings for the series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025

What about in vitro fertilization treatments or ear piercings?

From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2025

The sheer scope and number of tattoos and piercings would have Mamma fainting.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

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Related Words

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

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