PIERCINGLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

piercingly

adverb

as in sharply

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of piercingly As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Chef Steven Pham is still simmering his signature Northern Vietnamese-style pho ga, which features a soul-piercingly clear broth, tender poached chicken, rice noodles, and a floating raft of fresh herbs. — Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026 The Towode Door Stop Alarm is a budget-friendly, highly effective safety tool that functions as a wedge door stop and a piercingly loud alarm when activated. — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2026 In the opening keynote, president of public broadcaster Arte France Bruno Patino provided a bleak yet piercingly precise evaluation of the industry today. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026 Perched along the Dalton Highway and north of the Arctic Circle, Coldfoot has virtually no light pollution, piercingly clear winter nights, and a reputation among aurora chasers for its reliable solar shows. — Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 9 Mar. 2026 His lashes are long, the eyes deep-set, large and intense, staring piercingly into you. — Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025 How could the woman who wrote so piercingly about women’s subjugation subjugate herself to not just one but two men? — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for piercingly

Adverb

The kind and volume of content being sought are being defined more sharply.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
The share of parents who believe their children share their commitment to giving back fell even more sharply to 65% from 76%.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

The comparisons between that movie and Elsinore, what with all the Hamlet being performed and poignantly referring back to our characters’ circumstances, have been impossible to ignore.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
That’s a process that can help clarify thoughts, but knowing that no one was behind the dialogue, that the empathy was a technique and not a presence, left me with a sense of being poignantly unheard.

— Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of poignantly

Adverb

Global hospitality business Hilton is acutely aware of these concerns.

— Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
However, sharply rising diesel prices hit far more acutely and quickly in industries such as mining, quarrying and cement mixing, as well as other materials that are key in construction.

— Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of acutely

Adverb

But their complaints come as Lecornu's government seeks to rein in public spending to appease skittish bond markets, which have punished France more harshly than many of its peers this year, amid a global bond market rout.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
His government has also been harshly criticized for a migration crisis in Ceuta.

— JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

On set, Creed-Miles was also falling deeply in love—with storytelling—while also keenly being aware of the high stakes of adapting a beloved Austen classic.

— Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
Royal is also keenly aware of the significance of her AGT victory beyond her own career.

— Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of keenly

Adverb

The movie’s strongest sequences provide the all-too-rare sensation of truly not being able to believe your eyes, as the film’s most fantastical elements feel distressingly real.

— Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
The event was halted after an hour due to fears about her safety, which distressingly encapsulates a tension that the trans Mayan artist has navigated for years.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026

Definition of distressingly

Adverb

What at first appears to be a run-of-the-mill trauma drama about a family dealing with the eldest child’s anorexia nervosa gradually evolves into something odder and more original, even blackly comic, in Ungrateful Beings.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Saadawi’s unabashedly political, blackly funny contemporary take on the mythos (superb translated by Jonathan Wright, who captures the wry humor and brooding, ominous rhythms of Saadawi’s dark tale) is, however, a true standout in a very crowded field.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2024

Definition of blackly

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piercingly

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“Piercingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercingly. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of piercingly

adverb

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