pungent — pungent, piquant, poignant, racy, spicy, snappy are comparable when they mean characterized by sharpness, zest, and a piercing or gripping quality. Pungent applies especially to a sharp, piercing, stinging, biting, or penetrating quality,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
pungent — [adj1] highly flavored acid, acrid, aromatic, bitter, effluvious, hot, nosey*, odoriferous, peppery, piquant, poignant, racy, rich, salty, seasoned, sharp, snappy, sour, spicy, stinging, stinking*, strong, tangy, tart, whiffy*, zesty; concept 613 … New thesaurus
pungent — [pun′jənt] adj. [L pungens, prp. of pungere, to prick, puncture: see POINT] 1. producing a sharp sensation of taste and smell; acrid 2. sharp and piercing to the mind; poignant; painful 3. sharply penetrating; expressive; biting [pungent… … English World dictionary
pungent — index bitter (acrid tasting), caustic, incisive, mordacious, trenchant Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
pungent — 1590s, sharp, poignant (of pain or grief), from L. pungentem (nom. pungens), prp. of pungere to prick, pierce, sting, related to pugnus fist (see PUGNACIOUS (Cf. pugnacious)). Meaning having powerful odor or taste first recorded 1660s. Literal… … Etymology dictionary
pungent — ► ADJECTIVE 1) having a sharply strong taste or smell. 2) (of remarks or humour) sharp and caustic. DERIVATIVES pungency noun pungently adverb. ORIGIN from Latin pungere to prick … English terms dictionary
pungent — adjective Etymology: Latin pungent , pungens, present participle of pungere to prick, sting; akin to Latin pugnus fist, pugnare to fight, Greek pygmē fist Date: 1597 1. sharply painful 2. having a stiff and sharp point < pungent leaves > 3. a.… … New Collegiate Dictionary
pungent — [[t]pʌ̱nʤ(ə)nt[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED Something that is pungent has a strong, sharp smell or taste which is often so strong that it is unpleasant. The more herbs you use, the more pungent the sauce will be. ...the pungent smell of burning rubber. Syn … English dictionary
pungent — pun|gent [ˈpʌndʒənt] adj [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: , present participle of pungere to prick, sting ] 1.) having a strong taste or smell pungent smell/aroma/odour etc ▪ the pungent odour of garlic 2.) formal pungent speech or writing is… … Dictionary of contemporary English
pungent — adjective 1 a pungent taste or smell is strong and sharp: the pungent aroma of garlic 2 pungent remarks or writing criticize something in a very direct and clever way: a few typically pungent remarks from Senator Moynihan pungently adverb… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
