stinging

stinging
    adj 1: (of speech) harsh or hurtful in tone or character;
           "cutting remarks"; "edged satire"; "a stinging comment"
           [syn: {cutting}, {edged}, {stinging}]
    n 1: a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being
         stung; "the sting of death"; "he felt the stinging of
         nettles" [syn: {sting}, {stinging}]
    

Stinging \Sting"ing\, a.
   Piercing, or capable of piercing, with a sting; inflicting
   acute pain as if with a sting, goad, or pointed weapon;
   pungent; biting; as, stinging cold; a stinging rebuke. --
   {Sting"ing*ly}, adv.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Stinging cell}. (Zool.) Same as {Lasso cell}, under {Lasso}.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Sting \Sting\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Stung}(Archaic {Stang}); p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Stinging}.] [AS. stingan; akin to Icel. & Sw.
   stinga, Dan. stinge, and probably to E. stick, v.t.; cf.
   Goth. usstiggan to put out, pluck out. Cf. {Stick}, v. t.]
   1. To pierce or wound with a sting; as, bees will sting an
      animal that irritates them; the nettles stung his hands.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To pain acutely; as, the conscience is stung with remorse;
      to bite. "Slander stings the brave." --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To goad; to incite, as by taunts or reproaches.
      [1913 Webster]
    

112 Moby Thesaurus words for "stinging":
      acanaceous, acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent,
      acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, aculeolate, acute, afflictive,
      agonizing, asperous, astringent, atrocious, biting, bitter,
      brambly, briery, brisk, bristly, burn, burning, burning pain, buzz,
      caustic, chafing, corroding, corrosive, cramping, cruel, cutting,
      distressing, double-edged, edged, escharotic, excruciating, fierce,
      fire, fretting, galling, gnawing, grating, grave, grinding,
      griping, hard, harrowing, harsh, hurtful, hurting, incisive,
      irritant, irritating, irritative, keen, mordacious, mordant,
      muricate, nose-tickling, painful, paresthesia, paroxysmal,
      penetrating, piercing, pins and needles, piquant, poignant,
      pricking, prickle, prickles, prickling, prickly, pricky, pungent,
      racking, rasping, rigorous, rough, scathing, scorching, scratchy,
      severe, sharp, shooting, smart, smarting, sour, spasmatic, spasmic,
      spasmodic, stabbing, sting, strident, stringent, tart, thistly,
      thorny, thrill, tingle, tingling, tormenting, torturous, trenchant,
      urtication, vehement, violent, virulent, vitriolic, withering