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 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

However, looking at the market reaction, Samsung shares fell sharply after the South Korean stock market opened today.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
But its arrivals-to-departures ratio—a measure of hires relative to exits—has fallen sharply, from about 12-to-1 in the second quarter of 2023 to roughly 2-to-1 in the third quarter of 2026, according to Zeki’s data.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

Most poignantly, he was struck by how far the late, great Buck O’Neil’s museum has come since its inception in a one-room office in 1990.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Our range includes a meandering cowboy odyssey that sprawls from a nowhere town in Texas to Big Sky country, a poignantly observant memoir from a wild child Dreamlander, and a careful dissection of a situationship set to the rhythms of 1970s Brazil.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of poignantly

Adverb

Below, during a conversation with THR, Taylor-Joy also discusses key changes made to Jonathan Tropper’s adaptation of Marissa Stapley’s novel Lucky, before revealing what made her first day on set acutely emotional.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
The industry’s promises AI companies are acutely aware of the souring views toward data centers, and several have made pledges to try and assure Americans that their buildouts will benefit the country.

— Ashley Capoot,Garrett Downs, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of acutely

Adverb

And violations of public trust are typically judged quite harshly.

— Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Tariff Refunds Spark Political Debate Democratic lawmakers have harshly criticized corporations receiving millions in tariff refunds without passing those benefits on to consumers.

— Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

The project uses horror and darkly comic genre elements to approach the psychological pressures of motherhood, extending Urban’s interest in personal experience as a route into broader social and political terrain.

— Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
On is a darkly comedic film exploring family, loneliness and the complicated ways people reconnect after years of emotional distance.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of darkly

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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piercing

piercingly

pier glass

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“Piercingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piercingly. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of piercingly

adverb

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