Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb pierce

5 senses of pierce

Sense 1
pierce -- (cut or make a way through; "the knife cut through the flesh"; "The path pierced the jungle"; "Light pierced through the forest")
       => penetrate, perforate -- (pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; "The bullet penetrated her chest")

Sense 2
pierce -- (move or affect (a person's emotions or bodily feelings) deeply or sharply; "The cold pierced her bones"; "Her words pierced the students")
       => affect, impress, move, strike -- (have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; "This child impressed me as unusually mature"; "This behavior struck me as odd")

Sense 3
pierce -- (sound sharply or shrilly; "The scream pierced the night")
       => sound -- (give off a certain sound or sounds; "This record sounds scratchy")

Sense 4
pierce, thrust -- (penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument)
       => penetrate, perforate -- (pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; "The bullet penetrated her chest")

Sense 5
pierce -- (make a hole into; "The needle pierced her flesh")
       => penetrate, perforate -- (pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; "The bullet penetrated her chest")

Antonyms of adj piercing

2 senses of piercing

Sense 1
acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp -- (having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations")

INDIRECT (VIA perceptive) -> unperceptive, unperceiving -- (lacking perception; "as unperceptive as a boulder")

Sense 2
cutting, keen, knifelike, piercing, stabbing, lancinate, lancinating -- (painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain")

INDIRECT (VIA sharp) -> dull -- (not keenly felt; "a dull throbbing"; "dull pain")

Similarity of adj piercing

2 senses of piercing

Sense 1
acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp -- (having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations")
       => perceptive (vs. unperceptive) -- (having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment; "a perceptive eye"; "a perceptive observation")

Sense 2
cutting, keen, knifelike, piercing, stabbing, lancinate, lancinating -- (painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain")
       => sharp (vs. dull) -- (keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point; "a sharp pain"; "sharp winds")