adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French penetratif, from Medieval Latin penetrativus, from Latin penetratus, past participle + -ivus -ive
1. : tending to penetrate : of a penetrating quality : piercing
applying a toxic penetrative spray to the bark surface — F.C.Craighead b. 1890 & J.M.Miller
2. : acute
stimulate in the reader intuitive faculties more penetrative than formal reasoning — C.E.Montague
frequent penetrative observations — J.C.Ireson
3. : impressive
penetrative lecturers … sent the hearer home with an idea, or a fact, or an enthusiasm firmly and usefully planted — H.S.Canby
• pen·e·tra·tive·ly ]ə̇vlē, -li adverb
• pen·e·tra·tive·ness ]ivnə̇s noun -es