How to Use penetrative in a Sentence

penetrative

adjective
  • But does the less penetrative nature of oil mean the retinol won't work its magic on your skin?
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 18 Feb. 2022
  • The grouper sniffs out fish, and the penetrative octopus flushes them from their coral caves.
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2018
  • Curved toys, longer fingers, or angled penetrative movements can help reach it.
    — Dominique Fluker, Essence, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Combining the sharp tips with the weight of the wooden shaft would have given each one a lot of penetrative power.
    — WIRED, 10 Jan. 2023
  • The greater the pressure, the greater the shell’s peak velocity—and the greater its range and penetrative power.
    — David Axe, Forbes, 4 May 2023
  • About 3 percent are penetrative injuries like gunshots or stab wounds.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Post-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2018
  • The greater the pressure, the greater the shell’s peak velocity—and the greater its penetrative power.
    — David Axe, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023
  • Until 1976, a married person couldn’t be charged with the penetrative rape of their spouse.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Saul, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open, takes intense pleasure in these probing, penetrative sensations.
    — Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2022
  • The veterinary staff used a penetrative captive bolt, killing him instantly.
    — Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2014
  • Unless there are recurring, penetrative rains in August, the family will sell half of its herd.
    — Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2021
  • Tottenham have needed more success from their ball-carrying, given the lack of penetrative passing in the side.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Vitinha has been slightly below his usual level, less precise and penetrative with his passing.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
  • The result is a player comfortable making penetrative passes into the paint, dishing off the drive and scoring at all three levels.
    — Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 29 June 2021
  • Boundaries, during Reichardt’s shoots, must be penetrative, as her team depends on locals to mount production.
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
  • There was little passing for passing’s sake, but a focus on penetrative passing and counter-attacks that would surely thrill United fans.
    — The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • This is especially important for floors with a penetrative finish, as the wood grain is less protected from surface moisture.
    — Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Villa were far sharper and more penetrative in the first half against West Ham, though somewhat assisted by playing against a back four who could be dragged out of shape.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
  • When nematocysts are triggered, their harpoon shoot out at speeds that can exceed 40 miles per hour, creating as much penetrative force as some bullets.
    — Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 2 June 2015
  • With its tiny penetrative molecules, avocado oil is a nutrient-rich ingredient that strengthens strands from roots to ends.
    — Patricia Weigel Shannon, Southern Living, 23 June 2021
  • Zhurong, which is named after the Chinese god of fire, is equipped with ground-penetrative radar and a topography camera for a mission that is scheduled for 90 days.
    — Washington Post, 22 May 2021
  • The hosts played positive football for large stretches of the game, but their lack of penetrative success coupled with some shocking defensive mistakes saw the side trounced by a rampant Blues side.
    — SI.com, 24 Sep. 2017
  • To tell those stories, democracies would have to invest more in penetrative communications and persuasive content.
    — Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
  • Bernardo does make a penetrative run as Akanji passes to Gvardiol, but City’s slow approach play has allowed Spurs to lock them in.
    — Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Wednesday night was evident that there’s a real lack of penetrative imagination from Juve’s current midfielders.
    — Emmet Gates, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2022
  • Also perplexing is that many women require clitoral stimulation to achieve orgasm, not penetrative action.
    — Brandon Keim, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2011
  • One of the more crucial aspects of the experiment was whether penetrative electrode arrays produced higher resolution images.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2021
  • For reference, this is similar in concept to how Kevlar and other synthetic armors combine both fibers and matrices to resist penetrative forces.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • One common use is for submarine communication, which works due to the penetrative capacity of the lengthy VLF waves.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 19 May 2017
  • Moreover, a Storm Shadow or similar missile travels at 600 miles per hour, lending it greater penetrative power.
    — David Axe, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penetrative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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