piercing
1
6.3
- adjective
- /ˈpɪərsɪŋ/
:
perspicaz
- She made a piercing remark that revealed the truth about the situation.
- piercing eyes
It's like, again, sorry to bring up Hitler, but like people have talked about his piercing gaze when they're one-on-one.
- It's like, again, sorry to bring up Hitler, but like people have talked about his piercing gaze when they're one-on-one.
Examples
-
His eyes are a piercing, excited blue.
Fiction book (1992) -
The King's eyes are more piercing than I can remember.
-
Well, I just find he's the most piercing and aware insight working today.
-
So I entered grad school and waited for that piercing moment of revelation.
-
Although he often explored bleak material, Dickens's piercing wit never failed to find light in the darkest corners.
-
Her piercing insights into human behavior earned her the respect of her colleagues.
-
The detective's piercing observations helped him solve the case quickly.
Synonyms
152
3.3
Quick at noticing small details and understanding things
57
2.8
Having a quick, clear mind that notices small details
21
4.1
Able to notice and understand things quickly
8
6.8
Showing a clear, deep understanding and explaining ideas sharply
5
6.7
Able to understand new things very quickly
3
5.4
Quick to understand and notice important details
2
6.2
Showing good taste and the ability to notice small differences in quality
Understands things quickly and deeply
Thinking or words that are very sharp and hurt people quickly
Antonyms
Compounds
How Perceptive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Piercing comes from the word pierce, meaning 'to go through'. A piercing look or remark is like something that 'goes through' surface words to reach the truth, so it describes very sharp, clear seeing or thinking.