punchy
Americanadjective
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being or appearing vigorously effective; forceful.
adjective
-
an informal word for punch-drunk
-
informal incisive or forceful
a punchy article
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of punchy
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.
See Examples For:
Alejandro Tellez’s contribution came with the punchy “Linda Sonrisa,” that pleads for someone to realize the realities of the mistreatment they’re facing with another lover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The brine ties everything together and gives the salad a punchy Mediterranean flavor that makes it feel more intentional than it actually is.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Anderson played punchy passes forward whenever space between the lines opened up.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
While the Lincoln Memorial’s pool takes on a punchy new shade, the country’s wealthiest homeowners are increasingly choosing gray to make their pools disappear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
You know when you’ve had a really long day and you’re so punchy with tiredness that everything seems hilarious?
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
"There's a very big relationship with Ibiza. They're just a clubbing community. London is punchier, groovier. So I had to build a different set for tonight."
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
That’s just enough wiggle room for sound engineers, who can try tricks of the trade to make commercials feel punchier and be perceived as louder while staying within the rules, Liaukonyte said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
Herbs: bright, fecund, verdant, elevating our food with both flavor and color, guiding us from heavy comfort foods into a punchier, lighter category of cuisine.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2025
There is a choice of a fuel-conscious, non-turbocharged 191-horsepower four-cylinder engine or a punchier 281-horsepower turbo-four available in higher trims.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2023
One was slower and long-form, the other punchier, for singing after touchdowns.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 13, 2022
“GNX,” one of the rapper’s punchiest, most concise releases, is his fifth to get a nod for album of the year—though he has never taken home the trophy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
“Johnson is able to convey the largeness of human experience through the tiniest, punchiest sentences.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
In more ways than one, Bairstow is the great survivor of English cricket and there is genuine affection towards him from all areas of the game, even if he is the media's punchiest sparring partner.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2024
The three-song comeback’s punchiest song is defiantly titled “Quitter,” and doesn’t slack off at all.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022
She nodded, then hit me with the gut punchiest of all gut punches.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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.
