stinging 1 of 2

adjective

as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin these cold, stinging winds are not just a discomfort—they can be dangerous to exposed flesh

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stinging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sting
1
as in gouging
to charge (someone) too much for goods or services a nightclub that's been stinging patrons for years

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plucking
to rob by the use of trickery or threats swindlers who sting unwary tourists by posing as officials demanding money

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 stinging
Adjective
Biting and stinging arthropods, such as wasps, mosquitos and spiders, account for five states. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 That move came just as the clock was running out Friday on stopgap levies the president imposed after a stinging defeat for other tariffs at the Supreme Court. — ABC News, 24 July 2026 The researchers' device aims to solve the stinging problem by physically preventing this meeting (unfortunately no images of it are available at this time). — New Atlas, 30 June 2026 Since September of 2024, federal science agencies in the US have axed nearly 120,000 employees, in a stinging loss for public research. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 25 June 2026 Jean-Philippe Mateta, named in France’s World Cup squad earlier this month, reacted superbly after Rayo keeper Augusto Batalla could only parry a stinging Wharton shot from the edge of the box. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 27 May 2026 Coming up short in the 2025 ISL boys lacrosse championship left a stinging sensation for Tabor Academy. — Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 17 May 2026 Parasitoids are non-stinging wasps, flies, and other insects that develop on or in a host, eventually killing it. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026 My eyes, raw and stinging, now filled with their own salty tears. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
Verb
The island’s very existence—a prosperous, democratic Chinese society integrated with the West—offers a stinging rebuke to the claim that authoritarian rule is uniquely suited to the Chinese people. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Aug. 2026 Still stinging emotionally from the recording studio shooting and assault case that both happened in New York and Shakur feared were setups, Knight told Kearse a week after Shakur’s death that Tupac had more than a financial connection to Death Row. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 The downside is that the active ingredients can trigger stinging, breakouts or reactions in people with sensitive skin. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026 The 21-year-old grows more confident when starting on the left wing, stinging the outside of Rosenborg’s goalpost wth a solid effort in the 28th minute. — Carl Anka, New York Times, 25 July 2026 Off the back of her high-profile return to music and very public stinging attack of David Harbour, Prime Video is making a doc about Lily Allen. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 July 2026 Symptoms of smoke inhalation include coughing, trouble breathing, wheezing, asthma attacks, stinging eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose and irritated sinuses, headaches, tiredness, chest pain and a fast heartbeat. — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 17 July 2026 But that came before Williams’ stinging comments about the settlement between the Justice Department and IRS. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 15 July 2026 In the Mark Dolan Show interview and in a stinging essay for the Daily Mail, Griffiths accused the king’s son of making false allegations against her. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stinging
  1. biting
  2. gouging
  3. plucking
  4. bitter
  5. cheating
  6. squeezing
  7. sharp
  8. soaking
Adjective
  • The pacing is more frenetic, the narration more biting, the flashbacks more jarring, and the comedowns much harsher.
    — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
  • Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026
Definition of biting
Verb
  • The agencies also encouraged states with price-gouging statutes to determine whether enforcement actions are warranted under those laws.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2026
  • Yes, touristy, but not as overrun by price gouging business owners at places like Virginia Beach or Myrtle Beach.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of gouging
Verb
  • Dramatic photos taken from the scene show a firefighter on a tower ladder plucking a panicked child from a fire escape.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Now, Yupia appears on Khramov’s debut album, where the horse literally makes music by strumming guitars with his nose and plucking strings with his teeth.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of plucking
Adjective
  • Sometimes the mood turned bitter, with fights erupting over insignificant matters.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Not that Tottenham Hotspur appear willing to consider an approach from their neighbours and bitter rivals for their captain, let alone sanction a sale.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitter
Verb
  • Princeton University dropped its over century-old Honor Code tradition which let students take their exams without supervision, after an AI cheating scandal rattled the Ivy League institution.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 Aug. 2026
  • This led to rival Phoenix Union players calling them criminals and making accusations of cheating during a 1913 football game.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheating
Verb
  • Washington is trying to choke Iran's ability to get its crude out while Tehran is squeezing the artery through which everybody else's crude gets through.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Chances are you answer emails while sitting in meetings, listen to podcasts while exercising, scroll your phone while standing in line and congratulate ourselves for squeezing more into every hour.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezing
Adjective
  • Yarmosky looks to have a go-to outfit formula, too, keeping things low-key and sharp with tailored pants and simple knits.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 9 Aug. 2026
  • That reshuffle opened the door for Amad, who shone on the right with a bustling performance, unsettling PSG with his sharp dribbling and laying on an assist for Mbeumo.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of sharp
Verb
  • Tropical Storm Lala is already soaking Hawaii’s Big Island and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane, prompting a rare warning for what could be the island’s first hurricane landfall in 155 years.
    — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The bedroom is paired with a Blue Crystallo quartzite bathroom, where the vanity matches the walk-in shower and a gold soaking tub sits next to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of soaking

Browse Nearby Words

stinginess
stinging
stings
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Cite this Entry

“Stinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stinging. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of stinging for Spanish Speakers

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