punchy
Americanadjective
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being or appearing vigorously effective; forceful.
adjective
-
an informal word for punch-drunk
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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:
“November is set to become more interesting, as we get a fresh CNB forecast, while potentially receiving punchy numbers for both November’s headline and core inflation,” they said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
A platter of summer tomatoes, tuna-belly conserva, shaved onion, and punchy olives arrives where it cannot possibly fit.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Price, in conjunction with fellow analysts Duncan Hay and Ashley Kielty, set out his case for copper in a report published Tuesday with the punchy title, “Copper…. Better than gold.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Anderson played punchy passes forward whenever space between the lines opened up.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
His invocation was brief and punchy, and for a second I thought we were getting back on the high road to right action.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
For a punchier pasta, try al limone: a dish that’s all zip and silk, bright as spring sunlight on a windowsill.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
When the pair swapped over, the energy remained high, with SZA tearing through hits such as 30 for 30 and Broken Clocks, which were reworked to feel punchier.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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
It has now been replaced by a much punchier script, delivered in a tropical palette of gradient colors — turquoise, pink and gold — all placed beneath the image of a setting sun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2021
“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.
