Penetrate \Pen"e*trate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penetrated; p.
pr. & vb. n. Penetrating.] [L. penetratus, p. p. of
penetrare to penetrate; akin to penitus inward, inwardly, and
perh. to pens with, in the power of, penus store of food,
innermost part of a temple.]
1. To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to effect
an entrance into; to pierce; as, light penetrates
darkness.
[1913 Webster]
2. To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to
touch with feeling; to make sensible; to move deeply; as,
to penetrate one's heart with pity. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The translator of Homer should penetrate himself
with a sense of the plainness and directness of
Homer's style. --M. Arnold.
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3. To pierce into by the mind; to arrive at the inner
contents or meaning of, as of a mysterious or difficult
subject; to comprehend; to understand.
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Things which here were too subtile for us to
penetrate. --Ray.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Penetrating \Pen"e*tra`ting\, a.
1. Having the power of entering, piercing, or pervading;
sharp; subtile; penetrative; as, a penetrating odor.
[1913 Webster]
2. Acute; discerning; sagacious; quick to discover; as, a
penetrating mind.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
penetrating
adj 1: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine
distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and
politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike
reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a
fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative
observations" [syn: acute, discriminating, incisive,
keen, knifelike, penetrative, piercing, sharp]
2: tending to penetrate; having the power of entering or
piercing; "a toxic penetrative spray applied to the
surface"; "a cold penetrating wind"; "a penetrating odor"
[syn: penetrative]
WordNet (r) 2.0
185 Moby Thesaurus words for "penetrating":
Siberian, absorbing, acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic,
acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, acute, algid,
apperceptive, appercipient, arctic, argute, asperous, astringent,
astute, below zero, biting, bitter, bitterly cold, bleak, boreal,
brisk, brumal, caustic, clear-cut, clever, cogent, cold,
cold as charity, cold as death, cold as ice, cold as marble,
corroding, corrosive, creaky, crisp, cutting, deafening, deep,
deep-felt, deepgoing, discerning, discriminating, double-edged,
driving, ear-piercing, ear-splitting, edged, effective, escharotic,
farseeing, farsighted, fierce, forceful, forcible, foreseeing,
foresighted, forethoughted, forethoughtful, freezing,
freezing cold, frigid, gelid, glacial, gutsy, harsh, heartfelt,
hibernal, hiemal, homefelt, howling, hyperborean, ice-cold,
ice-encrusted, icelike, icy, imperative, impressive, incisive,
inclement, indelible, ingoing, intelligent, intense, irritating,
keen, keening, longheaded, longsighted, loud, mordacious, mordant,
nervous, nipping, nippy, nose-piercing, nose-tickling, numbing,
perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, perspicuous, pervading,
pervasive, piercing, pinching, piping, piquant, poignant, powerful,
profound, provident, punchy, pungent, quick, quick-witted, raw,
reedy, reeking, rigorous, rough, sagacious, scathing, scorching,
screaky, screeching, screechy, searching, sensational, sensitive,
severe, sharp, sharp-sighted, sharp-witted, shrieking, shrieky,
shrill, sinewed, sinewy, slashing, sleety, slushy, smart, snappy,
sour, squeaking, squeaky, stabbing, stinging, stone-cold, strident,
striking, stringent, strong, strong-scented, strong-smelling,
subzero, suffocating, supercooled, tart, telling, thin, thundering,
trenchant, ululant, understanding, vehement, vigorous, violent,
virulent, vital, vitriolic, wailing, whining, whistling,
winterbound, winterlike, wintery, wintry, withering
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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