trenchant

tren·chant

adj \-chənt\

Definition of TRENCHANT

1

: keen, sharp

2

: vigorously effective and articulate <a trenchant analysis>; also : caustic <trenchant remarks>

3

a : sharply perceptive : penetrating <a trenchant view of current conditions> b : clear-cut, distinct <the trenchant divisions between right and wrong — Edith Wharton>

— tren·chant·ly adverb

Examples of TRENCHANT

1. a writer with a trenchant wit
2. <even the most trenchant sword could not sever the bonds of loyalty between them>

Origin of TRENCHANT

Middle English trenchaunt, from Anglo-French, present participle of trencher

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to TRENCHANT

Synonyms: cutting, edged, edgy, ground, honed, keen, sharpened, stropped, sharp, whetted

Antonyms: blunt, blunted, dull, dulled, obtuse

Related Words: clawlike, daggerlike, knifelike; jabbing, jagged, lacerating, piercing, scratching, stabbing; pointed, pointy, spiky (also spikey)

Near Antonyms: rounded, smooth; soft; even, flat, level, slick

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Rhymes with TRENCHANT

penchant