astringent
Medicine/Medical. contracting; constrictive; styptic.
harshly biting; caustic: his astringent criticism.
stern or severe; austere.
sharply incisive; pungent: astringent wit.
Medicine/Medical. a substance that contracts the tissues or canals of the body, thereby diminishing discharges, as of mucus or blood.
a cosmetic that cleans the skin and constricts the pores.
Origin of astringent
1synonym study For astringent
Other words for astringent
Other words from astringent
- as·trin·gen·cy, noun
- as·trin·gent·ly, adverb
- non·as·trin·gen·cy, noun
- non·as·trin·gent, adjective
- non·as·trin·gent·ly, adverb
Words Nearby astringent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use astringent in a sentence
You can taste it when you add it to dishes because it’s so astringent.
It’s not bitter like lemon zest or astringent like vinegar, but somewhat fruity and floral without being noticeably sweet.
While fuyus can be eaten raw and crunchy, hachiyas are mouth-puckeringly astringent until they’re very ripe.
If you taste one before it is ripe, the fruit’s sour and astringent qualities will flood your taste buds with a horrible cottony sensation.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter | By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life | December 1, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThese protagonists want something just out of reach, and end up being the unintentional authors of their own astringent tragedies.
And yet, there was always an astringent, bleakly humorous honesty to the man.
The extreme sharpness of the air acted on his nerves like an astringent, and braced them swiftly.
Tales and Fantasies | Robert Louis StevensonI was unable to locate any of the ordinary astringent drugs, such as kino, krameria, or nutgall.
This fruit is very astringent and bitter, and on being cut, a juice flows from it which is at first yellow, but soon turns black.
It is powerfully styptic and astringent; and is used chiefly as an external application in cancer.
Its roots, of a deep red hue, are distinguished by a bitter taste and astringent properties.
The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
British Dictionary definitions for astringent
/ (əˈstrɪndʒənt) /
severe; harsh
sharp or invigorating
causing contraction of body tissues, checking blood flow, or restricting secretions of fluids; styptic
an astringent drug or lotion
Origin of astringent
1Derived forms of astringent
- astringency or astringence, noun
- astringently, 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
Scientific definitions for astringent
[ ə-strĭn′jənt ]
A substance or preparation, such as alum, that draws together or constricts body tissues, resulting in decreased flow of blood or other secretions.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse