| verb | cut or make a way through “the knife cut through the flesh” |
| verb | move or affect (a person's emotions or bodily feelings) deeply or sharply “The cold pierced her bones” |
| verb | sound sharply or shrilly “The scream pierced the night” |
| verb | penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument |
| verb | make a hole into “The needle pierced her flesh” |
| adjective | having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions “an acute observer of politics and politicians” |
| adjective | painful as if caused by a sharp instrument “a cutting wind” |
| thrust | noun | a strong blow with a knife or other sharp pointed instrument |
| acuteness | noun | a quick and penetrating intelligence |
| incisiveness | noun | keenness and forcefulness of thought or expression or intellect |
| keenness | noun | a quick and penetrating intelligence |
| penetrate | verb | come to understand |
| sharpness | noun | a quick and penetrating intelligence |