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

Much has been made of Winter’s idiosyncratic star power, and as an extremely tall, wet-dog-handsome instrumental virtuoso with a one-of-a-kind voice and just enough self-aware wit and lacerating lyricism to keep it relatable, that’s indisputable. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 The Bardi Gang got a kick out of Cardi subliminally dissing an opp with a lacerating bar. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026 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

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 Haigh expertly balances the tone as dread turns to lacerating sorrow. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

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

On July 17, an Iranian missile struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing three American soldiers and wounding four others.

— Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Deputies returned fire, wounding 30-year-old Linda Mullennix and ending the standoff that began late Thursday.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of wounding

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“Lacerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacerating. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of lacerating

adjective

verb

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