What is the meaning of piercing?

verb

• Cut or make a way through.
  • usage: "the knife cut through the flesh"; "The path pierced the jungle"; "Light pierced through the forest"
  • synonyms: pierce
• Move or affect (a person's emotions or bodily feelings) deeply or sharply.
  • usage: "The cold pierced her bones"; "Her words pierced the students"
  • synonyms: pierce
• Sound sharply or shrilly.
  • usage: "The scream pierced the night"
  • synonyms: pierce
• Penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument.
  • synonyms: pierce, thrust
• Make a hole into.
  • usage: "The needle pierced her flesh"
  • synonyms: pierce

adjective

• Having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions.
  • usage: "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"
  • synonyms: acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, sharp
• Painful as if caused by a sharp instrument.
  • usage: "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain"
  • synonyms: cutting, keen, knifelike, stabbing, lancinate, lancinating