penetrating

adjective

pen·​e·​trat·​ing ˈpe-nə-ˌtrā-tiŋ How to pronounce penetrating (audio)
Synonyms of penetratingnext
1
: having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading
a penetrating shriek
2
: acute, discerning
penetrating insights into life
penetratingly
ˈpe-nə-ˌtrā-tiŋ-lē How to pronounce penetrating (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of penetrating

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Examples of penetrating in a Sentence

She is one of our most penetrating and provocative critical thinkers. an author famous for her penetrating social commentary a penetrating account of what really happened during the crisis flowers that give off a penetrating perfume
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those pictures are much more penetrating then the pictures of walls with bullet holes. — Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023 Kamitani is one of the world’s leading experts on the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes what the eyes see, and fMRI is one of his most penetrating instruments. — Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2019 Nachmanides takes a different approach and offers perhaps the most penetrating psychological insight. — Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2022 One spring day in Paris many years ago, my wife, Diana, a most penetrating photographer, capable of seeing like no one else, decided, as an experiment, to walk across the city blindfolded. — Hisham Matar, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for penetrating

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of penetrating was in 1580

Rhymes for penetrating

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Browse Nearby Words

penetrate someone's disguise
penetrating
penetration
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Cite this Entry

“Penetrating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penetrating. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

penetrating

adjective
pen·​e·​trat·​ing
1
: having the power of entering or piercing
penetrating cold
2
: acute sense 3, discerning
a penetrating mind
penetratingly
-ˌtrāt-iŋ-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

penetrating

adjective
pen·​e·​trat·​ing
: having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading
treat hemorrhage from both penetrating injury and blunt trauma—The Journal of the American Medical Association
penetratingly
-ˌtrāt-iŋ-lē How to pronounce penetrating (audio)
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on penetrating

Nglish: Translation of penetrating for Spanish Speakers

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