having or showing shrewdness or keen intelligence:her piercing analysisa tall blonde with piercing eyes
(of a sound) extremely high or loud:she let out a piercing scream
(of wind or extreme cold) seeming to cut through one:the piercing cold of winter
(of a feeling) intense, typically in a distressing way:I recall one moment of piercing sadness
noun
(usually piercings)
holes in parts of the body, typically other than the ears, made so as to wear rings, studs, or other jewellery in them:she had piercings in her nose, eyebrow, and tongue
Derivatives
piercingly
adverb
piercing in other Oxford dictionaries
Definition of piercing in the US English dictionary
