stinging

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stinging

/ˈstɪŋɪŋ/

Rhymes with -ɪŋɪŋ

Where it comes from

From Middle English styngyng; equivalent to sting + -ing.

adjective more stinging · most stinging

Having the capacity to sting. stinging nettles
Similar: smart
figuratively Precise and hurtful. a stinging indictment of the American prison system

verb

gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of sting The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom.[…]Drifts of yellow vapour, fiery, parching, stinging, filled the air.

noun stingings

The act by which someone receives a sting. the stingings of scorpions

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: prickling, tingling, cutting, painful, edged, unkind, acrid, harrowing, angry, irritated, frustrated, damning, nettles, blistering, biting, sharp

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MLA

"stinging." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/stinging. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

stinging. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/stinging

Chicago

"stinging." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/stinging.

BibTeX

@misc{stinging_2026,
  title = {stinging},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/stinging},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}