LACERATING Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

lacerating 1 of 2

adjective

as in piercing

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lacerating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of lacerate

as in bruising

to cut (someone's flesh) deeply or roughly The broken glass lacerated his feet. The patient's hand was severely lacerated.

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Example Sentences

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 lacerating

Adjective

The trailer for the film, which came out today, is shockingly sweet for a comedian whose work is typically lacerating. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026 But Sinner, with his lacerating groundstrokes and impeccable anticipation, has a returning edge over Zverev. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 12 July 2026 Mulligan delivers lacerating fragility, while Isaac turns Josh’s accommodating nature into a pathology, but both characters are littered with backstory details that Beef leaves hanging. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026 According to the Daily Mail, Rebecca Loos, David Beckham’s former personal assistant, had a few things to say about the long-simmering family drama, which exploded into public view Monday after 26-year-old Brooklyn Beckham posted a lacerating take-down of his parents on Instagram. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026 Her diaries, two volumes of which have been published, reveal a wonderful writer, lyrical and self-lacerating. — Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025 His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025 Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025 Irrational violence and lyric visions erupt in lacerating, supremely elegant prose that’s also genuinely funny at times. — Jon Raymond august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025

Verb

Two generations of viewers have now grown up consuming The Daily Show’s lacerating take on politics. — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026 In the last year, Huston has broken his eye socket — twice — and his jaw, as well as lacerating his kidney, per posts on his social media. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 28 June 2026 That biography took the form of a dark romance between the self-lacerating Louis and his fiercely loving but brutal maker, Lestat, filtered through the former’s brooding subjectivity. — Judy Berman, Time, 2 June 2026 The industry’s issues have come up in debates and on the campaign trail, certainly, but perhaps not so much as challenger (and ex-reality TV villain) Spencer Pratt’s lacerating AI videos about Bass’ role in last year’s devastating Pacific Palisades fires. — David Bloom, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026 The songs are at times over-the-top, at others lacerating in their introspection about everything from the anxiety of aging to the anguished choice to terminate a pregnancy. — Adam Bradley Luis Alberto Rodriguez Carlos Nazario, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacerating

Adjective

Still, the glimpses of freedom Clark offers are all the more piercing for their rarity.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Mars merging with Pluto can hit you with a piercing moment of honesty.

— USA TODAY, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of piercing

Verb

Christian Castro faces Minnesota charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime after allegedly firing through a home’s front door and wounding 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during an immigration crackdown.

— Michael Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Brooklyn Center police say an investigation is underway after two girls riding a minibike collided with a motorist, fatally wounding one of the girls.

— Cole Premo, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of wounding

Adjective

Ragged, jagged or fluffy edges point to a Bristol Type 6 stool, meaning waste moved through the colon too fast for water to be absorbed properly.

— Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Nepal is a country of jagged, towering peaks with sheer slopes sweeping down to narrow valleys, cut through by powerful rivers.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of jagged

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“Lacerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacerating. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of lacerating

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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