pungent Hear it!

pungent Definition

pun·gent (pun′jənt)

adjective

  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 language
  4. keenly clever; stimulating

Etymology: L pungens, prp. of pungere, to prick, puncture: see point

pungent Related Forms

pun′·gency noun pun′·gently adverb

pungent Synonyms

pungent

modif.

sharp, acid, tart; see sour 1.

pungent Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • aroma: The tires crunching through wild basil release a pungent aroma.
  • odor: A gloomy chamber with a pungent odor, some sort of cleaning fluid.
  • smell: The place has the pungent smell of dead bodies.
  • odor: In the wind are pungent odors from the marshes by the road.
  • flavor: The accompanying red cabbage infused in juniper berries had a very strong pungent flavor.
  • scent: A roaring log fire burned brightly in the hearth and filled the room with the pungent scent of pine.

Modifying Another Word

  • rather: Be warned, however, it does make a rather pungent smell in your kitchen.
  • very: Very pungent smell at bottom of first drop, probably due to rotting sheep.
  • particularly: I should mention that Garlic in tincture form is particularly pungent!
  • too: More often used in spicy Mexican dishes than in British cooking, theyâre too pungent for most people to eat raw.
  • slightly: There are no other side effects apart from a slightly pungent taste.
  • so: If I had done so, I should not perhaps have felt the mortification I then experienced quite so pungent.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: The smell of a familiar fruit becomes pungent in my nostrils.
  • smell: The flowers are strongly scented and smell most pungent at night time.