piercing

1 of 2

adjective

pierc·​ing ˈpir-siŋ How to pronounce piercing (audio)
Synonyms of piercingnext
: penetrating: such as
a
: loud, shrill
piercing cries
b
: perceptive
piercing eyes
c
: penetratingly cold : biting
a piercing wind
d
: cutting, incisive
piercing sarcasm
piercingly
ˈpir-siŋ-lē How to pronounce piercing (audio)
adverb

piercing

2 of 2

noun

: a piece of jewelry (such as a ring or stud) that is attached to pierced flesh

Synonyms of piercing

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of piercing in a Sentence

Adjective She looked at me with piercing eyes, and I was suddenly frightened that she knew what I had done. I tried to avoid his piercing stare. She felt a piercing sadness when she heard the news. Noun There's a small shop in town where they do tattooing and body piercing. She got another ear piercing.
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.
Adjective
Mars merging with Pluto can hit you with a piercing moment of honesty. — Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026 Still, the glimpses of freedom Clark offers are all the more piercing for their rarity. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
The LLCs contested, arguing the alter ego finding was inapplicable and Illinois law didn't permit such piercing in supplementary proceedings. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 As the noise-rap-electro act Jane Remover shrieked and pleaded through a 90-minute marathon set at the Fonda on Thursday night, one very young couple dressed right out of a conservative‘s nightmare — gender-ambiguous, purple hair, facial piercings — tapped me on the shoulder. — Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for piercing

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of piercing was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing piercing

Browse Nearby Words

piercer
piercing
piercing punch
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Piercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piercing. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

piercing

1 of 2 adjective
pierc·​ing
: having the ability to enter, pierce, or penetrate: as
a
: loud and shrill
piercing screams
b
: perceptive, keen
a piercing glance
c
: very cold
a piercing wind
piercingly
ˈpir-siŋ-lē
adverb

piercing

2 of 2 noun
: a piece of jewelry (as a ring or stud) that is attached to pierced flesh

More from Merriam-Webster on piercing

Nglish: Translation of piercing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All