pungent
sharply affecting the organs of taste or smell, as if by a penetrating power; biting; acrid.
acutely distressing to the feelings or mind; poignant.
caustic, biting, or sharply expressive: pungent remarks.
mentally stimulating or appealing: pungent wit.
Biology. piercing or sharp-pointed.
Origin of pungent
1Other words for pungent
Opposites for pungent
Other words from pungent
- pun·gen·cy, noun
- pun·gent·ly, adverb
- non·pun·gen·cy, noun
- non·pun·gent, adjective
- non·pun·gent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pungent in a sentence
Green cabbage sweetens as it cooks, while red tends to be more pungent.
Cabbage is always there for you. Here’s how to give it the respect it deserves. | Aaron Hutcherson | February 19, 2021 | Washington PostMany common species of ants release pungent smells when they are in danger, squished, or otherwise dead, according to Clint Penick, an assistant professor at Kennesaw State University and ant researcher.
Why can some people smell ants? Here’s the answer to TikTok’s latest mystery. | Rachael Zisk | November 18, 2020 | Popular-ScienceOur olfactory systems have long regarded pungency as not just innocuous but in fact pleasing.
“Beauty and the Beast” pairing: Pungency is contrasted with sweetness to accentuate the taste spectrum.
The weather was magnificent; it presented the best features of summer combined with the salutary pungency of autumn.
The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett
No homely pungency of wood-smoke breathed welcome on the bitter air.
The Backwoodsmen | Charles G. D. RobertsCayenne pepper is sometimes added to adulterated pepper to give it the normal pungency.
Detection of the Common Food Adulterants | Edwin M. BruceHe can say daring things in a daring manner, and give the pungency of epigram to his political paradoxes.
A choking, composite odor—I detected the sick pungency of chloroform—emerged from it.
The Book of Susan | Lee Wilson Dodd
British Dictionary definitions for pungent
/ (ˈpʌndʒənt) /
having an acrid smell or sharp bitter flavour
(of wit, satire, etc) biting; caustic
biology ending in a sharp point: a pungent leaf
Origin of pungent
1Derived forms of pungent
- pungency, noun
- pungently, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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