adj
Meaning 1
Able to pierce or penetrate
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The skunk produces a penetrating odor.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
penetrating
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪtɪŋ/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: P EH1 N AH0 T R EY2 T IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Looking deeply into; piercing
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He had a very penetrating pair of brown eyes.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Demonstrating acute or keen understanding
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- His novel shows a penetrating insight into the criminal mind.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
present participle and gerund of penetrate
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
tending to penetrate; having the power of entering or piercing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a toxic penetrative spray applied to the surface
- a cold penetrating wind
- a penetrating odor
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: penetrative
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- 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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrative, piercing, sharp
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
No etymology was provided for this word.
Across languages
Translations
23 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: проникващ (pronikvašt) — able to pierce or penetrate
- Bulgarian: пронизващ (pronizvašt) — able to pierce or penetrate
- Finnish: läpitunkeva — able to pierce or penetrate
- Finnish: viiltävä — able to pierce or penetrate
- French: pénétrant — able to pierce or penetrate
- Greek: διαπεραστικός (diaperastikós) — able to pierce or penetrate
- Irish: tolltach — able to pierce or penetrate
- Latin: penetrālis — able to pierce or penetrate
- Macedonian: про́дорен (pródoren) — able to pierce or penetrate
- Macedonian: про́бивен (próbiven) — able to pierce or penetrate
- Māori: tīwharawhara — able to pierce or penetrate
- Persian: نافذ (nâfez) — able to pierce or penetrate
- Ukrainian: прони́кливий (pronýklyvyj) — able to pierce or penetrate
- Welsh: treiddgar — able to pierce or penetrate
- Welsh: treiddiol — able to pierce or penetrate
- Bulgarian: проницателен (pronicatelen) — demonstrating keen understanding
- Dutch: indringend — demonstrating keen understanding
- Finnish: viiltävä — demonstrating keen understanding
- Finnish: syvällinen — demonstrating keen understanding
- Macedonian: про́никлив (prónikliv) — demonstrating keen understanding
- Ukrainian: прони́кливий (pronýklyvyj) — demonstrating keen understanding
- Welsh: treiddgar — demonstrating keen understanding
- Welsh: craff — demonstrating keen understanding
Real reading context