as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion
feeling a little punchy after being up half the night with a crying baby
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Recent Examples of punchy
The hosts were punchy, and the guests were pulling out all the stops.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Italian sandwiches don’t hold up well, but pasta salads do, so transform your go-to deli order into a make-ahead pasta salad that’s hearty, punchy and not at all soggy.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025
So the short, punchy videos keep on coming, and many are now hosted on the official USC Athletics YouTube channel.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The punchy liquid stays put and works nicely as underpaint for a glow beneath base makeup, or for stand-alone brightness in multidimensional shades like Starlite (rose gold with shimmer) and Good Vibes (deep fuchsia with pearlescent particles).
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punchy
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Italian sandwiches don’t hold up well, but pasta salads do, so transform your go-to deli order into a make-ahead pasta salad that’s hearty, punchy and not at all soggy.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025
So the short, punchy videos keep on coming, and many are now hosted on the official USC Athletics YouTube channel.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The punchy liquid stays put and works nicely as underpaint for a glow beneath base makeup, or for stand-alone brightness in multidimensional shades like Starlite (rose gold with shimmer) and Good Vibes (deep fuchsia with pearlescent particles).
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punchy
Adjective
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Philadelphia’s defense seemed dazed and ill-prepared for Dart’s precision, composure and dual-threat ability.—
Andy Behrens,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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With scraggly hair and beard and a dazed countenance of man waking up from an unspeakable dream, Reeves brings the tender vulnerability to his Estragon (aka Gogo).—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Tibbetts looked confused by the ejection and didn’t leave the court immediately, appearing to ask another official, Tim Greene, what happened.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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About 20 mins later, our son woke up, confused and looking for his daddy.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As Friday’s stabbing incident involving NFL alum Mark Sanchez slowly comes into focus, the team at Fox Sports seems to be just as bewildered as the rest of us.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Oct. 2025
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Hair disheveled, a dazed and bewildered look in his eyes, the coach trudged into his own dressing room to regroup and get a rundown of a growing list of injuries.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In this chaotic world of busy schedules, stressful current events and personal responsibilities, growing distracted from your internal world is common.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
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Doing these podcasts keeps me distracted but motivated in fighting my condition.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Traditionally, Sean Payton’s teams deploy a revolving personnel carousel that can leave opposing defensive coordinators dizzy.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
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Ten percent impairs performance and leaves you dizzy and faint.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The stunned silence after her answer kind of says it all.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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What has left me completely stunned is that Labubus are on sale, too—just not on Amazon.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punchy. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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