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

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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 The eye makeup in the video specifically is so beautifully vibrant, punchy, and glittery. — Bianca Betancourt, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Three-Step Guide for J.Lo's "In the Morning" Video Nude Lip," 15 Jan. 2021 That’s not to say the guys behind CoM don’t make any loud, punchy dishes. — Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, "S.F.’s dorky new Viet pop-up is home-cooking nostalgia at its caramel-braised best," 10 Dec. 2020 Hank Green’s punchy follow-up to his debut novel An Absolutely Remarkable Thing centers on a low-odds attempt at saving humanity from extraterrestrial sabotage. — Rachel King, Fortune, "The best books of 2020, according to Fortune staff," 6 Dec. 2020 The fun-to-drive aspect is particularly true when optioned with the punchy 310-hp twin-turbo V-6 and its 400 pound-feet of torque. — Maxwell B. Mortimer, Car and Driver, "Tested: 2020 Ford Transit 350 Continues to Outpace Its Rivals," 4 Dec. 2020 Many of her photos are captioned with quotes or short and punchy sayings that usually do not run over three lines. — Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "Makeup Artist Katrina Guevara Calls Christine Quinn "Disrespectful" After Discrediting Her for Wedding Look," 29 Oct. 2020 Whatever the strategy, the results are punchy and kinetic. — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, "In the galleries: Exhibit upends male-centric myths, legends and folklore," 16 Oct. 2020 Think of this punchy little coup as Hawk from Cobra Kai. — Popular Mechanics, "The 2020 Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Awards," 6 Oct. 2020 With shades of blue, green, or red, this 10-inch clock is bound to make a smart and punchy statement on your wall. — Popular Science, "Functional wall clocks that also look good," 21 Sep. 2020

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.