punchy

adjective

ˈpən-chē 

punchier; punchiest

1

a

: 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

• addle
• addled
• addlepated
• bedeviled
• befogged
• befuddled
• bemused
• bewildered
• bushed [chiefly Australian]
• confounded
• confused
• dazed
• distracted
• dizzy
• dopey
• dopy
• fogged
• mixed-up
• muddleheaded
• muzzy
• pixilated
• pixillated
• punch-drunk
• raddled
• shell-shocked
• silly
• slaphappy
• spaced-out
• spaced
• spacey
• spacy
• stunned
• stupefied
• zonked
• zonked-out

Examples of punchy in a Sentence

shrimp in a punchy sauce

She was punchy with fatigue.

Recent Examples on the Web

Using acronyms and abbreviations, Gen Alpha condenses language into simple punchy expressions and repurposes existing words with new meanings. —Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025

How their prospective mayoral administration for the next four-year term would approach transportation in the city provided one the starkest contrasts, and punchiest exchanges, between Wu and Kraft in their first head-to-head matchup in a mayoral forum that was held Thursday night. —Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 16 May 2025

It's built for any adventure, with punchy bass, crystal-clear sound, and an IP67 waterproof rating. —Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 16 May 2025

Light, punchy, propulsive and crucially comfortable over the full 26.2 miles, even when things aren’t quite going according to plan. —Kieran Alger, Wired News, 7 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for punchy

• crunchy