Penetrating

verb

/ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪtɪŋ/

Word Frequency: 4.7

Definitions

1.verbTo enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.

"Light penetrates darkness."

2.verbTo achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.

"I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric."

3.verbTo affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.

"to penetrate one's heart with pity"

4.verbTo infiltrate an enemy to gather intelligence.

5.verbTo insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina or anus.

"a male elephant comes up and penetrates the female elephant"

6.verbTo move a piece past the defending pieces of one's opponent.

7.adjectiveAble to pierce or penetrate

"The skunk produces a penetrating odor."

8.adjectiveDemonstrating acute or keen understanding

"His novel shows a penetrating insight into the criminal mind."