piquancy

noun

pi·​quan·​cy ˈpē-kən(t)-sē How to pronounce piquancy (audio)
ˈpi-kwən(t)-
: the quality or state of being piquant

Examples of piquancy in a Sentence

a talk show host known for the quickness and piquancy of his wit I appreciated the piquancy of the peppers in the sauce.
Recent Examples on the Web But there’s a special spice, a special piquancy, to our Reacherism right now. James Parker, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2024 Tender chunks of pork shoulder are braised in an aromatic broth of onions, garlic, serrano chiles and, most notably, green Hatch chiles, which cut through the rich stew with their distinctive piquancy. Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2023 While its distinctive piquancy might throw some off, that very taste is what keeps it on the South Korean table week after week. Violet Kim, CNN, 28 June 2023 European and North American audiences and critics, however, wanted exotic national character and the piquancy of folk art from South America, particularly from its women, who were considered even more charmingly unmodern in their emotionality and direct rapport with land and hearth. Laura Kolbe, The New York Review of Books, 23 Apr. 2020 Sturgis plays up the piquancy. Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2021 Just a splash adds pizazz and piquancy. Asha Loupy, Bon Appétit, 15 Feb. 2023 Just enough to assert its piquancy and hint at the dish’s roots. Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 21 Mar. 2023 Vance’s defense of this litigation has an additional piquancy in light of his 2012 decision to overrule his own prosecutors and halt a felony fraud investigation of Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. for using grossly misleading figures while marketing units in the Trump SoHo building. Andrea Bernstein, The New York Review of Books, 5 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'piquancy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of piquancy was in 1664

Dictionary Entries Near piquancy

Cite this Entry

“Piquancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piquancy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

piquancy

noun
pi·​quan·​cy ˈpē-kən-sē How to pronounce piquancy (audio)
: the quality or state of being piquant
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