trenchant
adjective
Did you know?
There’s much to know about the word trenchant, but we’ll cut to the chase. The word trenchant comes from the Anglo-French verb trencher, meaning “to cut.” Hence, a trenchant sword is one with a keen edge. Nowadays, trenchant mostly describes things that don’t cut deep literally, but that are still felt: a trenchant remark is one that cuts close to the bone, and a trenchant observation is one that cuts to the heart of the matter. In addition to meaning “caustic” and “sharply perceptive,” trenchant also carries a sense meaning “very strong, clear, and effective” that may be used, for instance, to describe a persuasive essay written with intellectual rigor. If you find yourself forgetting these “edgy” definitions, you might dig up a familiar relative of trenchant: the noun trench, which refers to a long cut or ditch in the ground.
Examples of trenchant in a Sentence
Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Image Wood’s critique — the way technology has left us prone to dysfunctional loneliness — is trenchant, but his approach is fundamentally goofy.
—Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
So maybe no one was necessarily looking for trenchant commentary on our through-the-looking-glass moment in a Marvel movie, even if The Falcon and the Winter Soldier provided the perfect set up.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025
At various points, Ye did seem to be his old trenchant self.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trenchant
Cite this Entry
“Trenchant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trenchant. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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trenchant
adjective
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