punchy

adjective

\ ˈpən-chē

punchier; punchiest

Definition of punchy

1a : having punch : forceful, spirited The collection is strong on punchy, memorable music and weak on lyrics. — People Weekly He leans abruptly forward and speaks with the punchy emphasis of an inveterate politician.— Bill Bryson

b : vivid, vibrant These punchy colors glide on and blend easily into mere hints of color. — Elle

c : zesty It is an elegant dish, although the sauce seems overly polite now. I remember it when the fresh coriander was an intense and punchy flavor.— Caroline Bates

2 : dazed, punch-drunk … I arrived in Paris after a thirteen-hour flight, unwashed, unshaved, punchy from jet lag, discombobulated …— David Berlinski

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about punchy

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Examples of punchy in a Sentence

shrimp in a punchy sauce She was punchy with fatigue.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her writing has a punchy forcefulness, peppering stories with irreverent punch lines and juicy gossip. — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "She Speaks Truth to the Funny Men in Power," 7 Mar. 2018 With a few exceptions, the top 10 boys names tend to be a short, punchy two syllables: Jackson, Liam, Noah, Aiden, Caden, Grayson, Lucas, Mason, Oliver, and Elijah. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "These Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2018 for Boys and Girls," 29 Nov. 2018 Highs are crisp, mids are smooth, and bass is punchy if not huge. — Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, "The Ars Holiday Gift Guide 2018—good tech for the home and home office," 19 Nov. 2018 The ads are all Melodrama purple eyeshadow, red lips, and visible armpit hair, cool gal pals with punchy makeup and an accessible aesthetic. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "The absurd quest to make the “best” razor," 11 Dec. 2018 Trading at a punchy 22 times expected earnings, according to Thomson Reuters, the Sensex looks ripe for a pullback. — Andrew Peaple, WSJ, "Indian Markets Look Headed for Further Extremes," 17 Aug. 2018 In punchy shades of green, blue and yellow, these were pieces made for kids, but with age-appropriate style. — Kristin Larson, chicagotribune.com, "Our favorite looks from the SAIC fashion show," 23 May 2018 That punchy orange turns into a soothing warm glow, that, combined with the Suzy Snooze's sleep sounds, is scientifically proven to encourage sleep hormone production. — Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, "This Adorable Gadget Will Help Your Baby Sleep Better," 7 Nov. 2018 The audio quality is crisp in the mids, has punchy bass at medium to high volumes, and is clear at the highs. — Stefan Etienne, The Verge, "Master & Dynamic MW07 earbuds review: truly wireless, truly expensive," 18 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'punchy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.