Afflicting
Afflicting adjective - Hard to accept or bear especially emotionally.
Usage example: the afflicting sight of so many earthquake victims was too much even for some hardened rescue workers
Piercing and afflicting are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Piercing" instead an adjective "Afflicting".
Piercing
Piercing adjective - Causing intense discomfort to one's skin.
Afflicting and piercing are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Afflicting" instead an adjective "Piercing".
Mutual synonyms
Cite this Source
Piercing and Afflicting. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/piercing
Afflicting & Piercing. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/piercing>.
Piercing or Afflicting. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/afflicting/piercing.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "afflicting" and "piercing" have occurred on timeline