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

The new Casbah blue colorway presents the pattern in a simple, blue-and-white palette, turning, well, flowery florals into a punchy pattern. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "The Perfect Floral Wallpaper for People Who Hate Florals," 19 Mar. 2019 Richard Quinn, a designer with a penchant for punchy florals and mixed prints, was the 2018 recipient. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Duchess Camilla Sits Front-Row at London Fashion Week on the Queen's Behalf," 19 Feb. 2019 Other investors, such as Daniel Loeb’s Third Point at Nestlé, are pushing European consumer companies to cut costs at a time of limited sales growth, which is one reason their stocks often change hands at punchy earnings multiples. — Carol Ryan, WSJ, "Plastic Is Big Food’s Next Headache," 28 Dec. 2018 The colors are punchy and vivid, the prints bright and Instagram-friendly. — Chloe Malle, WSJ, "How Designer Wes Gordon is Reimagining Carolina Herrera for the Next Generation," 6 Dec. 2018 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

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.