⚡ A sharp pain ❄️ Causing pain 💬 Harshly critical

stinging

3.1

Causing a sharp, painful feeling on the skin

adjective
/ˈstɪŋɪŋ/

: picante

During the winter, the cold air can create a stinging feeling on your skin.

The one that few years back people were claiming could reduce SHBG was stinging nettle.

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Examples

And when my foot landed on its side, like on the parking lot on the concrete, I felt this very small but very intense burning, stinging, poking sensation.
In New Zealand, divers swat off millions of stinging jellyfish, each no larger than a grain of pepper.
My under eyes are really stinging again right now.
Even stinging pain, if it's something you desire, can be a kind of pleasure.
Not from this changing colors, but from whatever stinging activity is happening on my lips.
After eating the hot pepper, I felt a stinging sensation in my mouth.
The soap got into my eyes, causing a stinging discomfort that made me tear up.

Synonyms

painful

vsstinging

737 1.0

Making someone feel physical hurt or strong emotional upset

is more specific, implying a sharp, prickly, or irritating sensation

sharp

vsstinging

67 2.2

A sudden strong pain that feels like being cut

adds a sense of irritation or sting rather than only piercing intensity

irritating

vsstinging

4 3.1

Causing pain or discomfort to body parts like skin and eyes

is closer to a sharp, needle like pain rather than only irritation

blistering

vsstinging

2 5.8

Extremely hot, like strong sun that can burn skin

is milder and more about a brief sharp or irritating feeling

burny

vsstinging

1 8.8

Making the skin or mouth feel hot and stinging

can include hotness but more often means a quick prickly discomfort

stabbing

vsstinging

5.3

A sudden, sharp pain or very strong feeling that hurts a lot

is similar but can be less sudden and more irritating over time

stabby

vsstinging

Informal

8.6

A sudden sharp pain like a knife in your body

is like that pain but often also includes a lingering prickly feeling

lancinating

vsstinging

Specialized

9.9

A very sharp, stabbing pain like being pierced

is less medically intense and more commonly describes everyday irritating pain

cutting

vsstinging

5.2

Very hurtful in words, or sharply cold in weather

is more sensory, focusing on a physical sharp or irritating sensation

to burnin'

vsstinging

9.0

Giving a hot, stinging feeling in the mouth or on the skin

covers that heat feeling sometimes but focuses more on sharp prickliness

searing

vsstinging

4.1

A very hot burning pain that hurts a lot

is generally less extreme, often a quick sharp or irritating sensation

stabbingly harsh

vsstinging

Literature

9.4

Very sharp and unpleasant in a way that causes strong pain or shock

is a physical sensation term rather than a moral or verbal attack

Antonyms

gentle

235 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

soothing

81 2.9

That makes pain or worry feel less strong

Compounds

stinging nettle

1 4.6

A plant with leaves that have tiny hairs which make your skin feel hot and sore when touched

stinging hair

Specialized

8.9

A sharp hair on plants like nettles that releases liquid causing a burning feeling when touched

How Painful

searing

4.1

burning

45 3.9

stinging

3.1

irritating

4 3.1

tingling

22 3.4

Surface Forms

stinging positive

Morphology

stinging = sting (transparent) = sting + ing

Formed from the verb 'sting' with '-ing' used as a participial adjective; the sensory meaning is directly derived from the verb.

Etymology

Stinging comes from the verb sting, which means 'to prick' or 'cause a sharp pain'. So when something is described as 'stinging' it gives a sharp, burning or biting feeling, like cold wind or touching nettles.