piquant
Americanadjective
-
agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or flavor; pleasantly biting or tart.
a piquant aspic.
- Synonyms:
- spicy
- Antonyms:
- insipid
-
agreeably stimulating, interesting, or attractive.
a piquant glance.
-
of an interestingly provocative or lively character.
a piquant wit.
-
Archaic. sharp or stinging, especially to the feelings.
adjective
-
having an agreeably pungent or tart taste
-
lively or stimulating to the mind
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of piquant
First recorded in 1515–25; from French: literally, “pricking” ( see pique 1, -ant); replacing pickante, from Italian piccante
Explanation
Feeling a little saucy? Perhaps a bit provocative — but in a good way? Then it's safe to say your personality is a little piquant. Coming to us from the French word piquer, which means "to prick," something that's piquant certainly piques your interest. Someone who's piquant engages you with charm and wit. A story that's filled with piquant details has plenty of juicy, provocative points. And grandma's homemade gravy? It's certainly zesty and piquant, even with all the lumps.
Vocabulary lists containing piquant
"Love's Vocabulary," Vocabulary from the essay
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 5
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Tasteful Terms: Flavorful Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Piquant has been charged by a grand jury with 10 counts spanning passport fraud, voting by an alien and false claims of citizenship to register to vote.
From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2021
Computer-driven hedge funds such as Piquant Technologies are set up to automatically seek out and bet against wobbly currencies based on market data.
From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2016
My avatar alter ego, Jen-Luc Piquant, might be more like me than I realize.
From Slate • Jan. 30, 2014
In honor of the occasion, Jen-Luc Piquant has dug up an archival post on a lesser-known historical figure you devised an ingenious method of calculating Pi.
From Scientific American • Mar. 14, 2013
I shall make two divisions: first, Piquant Facts for the Manufacture of Similes, and, second, Piquant Expressions to be introduced as occasion may require.
From The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 4 by Poe, Edgar Allan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
