DEFINITIONS

piquant

[ pee-kuhnt, -kahnt, pee-kahnt ]
/ ˈpi kənt, -kɑnt, piˈkɑnt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR piquant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or flavor; pleasantly biting or tart: a piquant aspic.
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.

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Words related to piquant

relish, zest, flavoring, tang, sharpness, liveliness, salt, raciness, spice

Words nearby piquant

pippin, pipsissewa, pipsqueak, pipy, piqua, piquant, pique, piquet, piquillo, piqué, pir

Origin of piquant

1515–25; < French: literally, pricking (see pique1, -ant); replacing pickante < Italian piccante

SYNONYMS FOR piquant

1 spicy.
2 intriguing.
3 sharp, clever.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR piquant ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM piquant

pi·quan·cy, pi·quant·ness, nounpi·quant·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for piquancy

British Dictionary definitions for piquancy

piquant
/ (ˈpiːkənt, -kɑːnt) /

adjective

having an agreeably pungent or tart taste
lively or stimulating to the mind

Derived forms of piquant

piquancy or rare piquantness, nounpiquantly, adverb

Word Origin for piquant

C16: from French (literally: prickling), from piquer to prick, goad; see pique 1
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