trenchant

adjective tren·chant \ ˈtren-chənt \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: trenchant in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of trenchant

1 : keen, sharp

2 : vigorously effective and articulate

a trenchant analysis

; also : caustic

trenchant remarks

3 a : sharply perceptive : penetrating

a trenchant view of current conditions

b : clear-cut, distinct

the trenchant divisions between right and wrong
—Edith Wharton

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trenchantly

adverb

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Examples of trenchant in a Sentence

a writer with a trenchant wit
even the most trenchant sword could not sever the bonds of loyalty between them

Recent Examples of trenchant from the Web

That’s when things go from trenchant to deeply weird.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Sorry to Bother You Is Fizzy, Flawed, and Fascinating," 6 July 2018
Each story is a trenchant exploration of race and class, vividly conveying the tension between social codes of masculinity and the vulnerable, volatile self.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted," 24 June 2018
By Adam Rutherford In witty, trenchant prose, Rutherford lays out the complexity of the genome and the wonder of possibilities buried within it.

— sarah mupo, STAT, "The 39 best health and science books to read this summer," 25 June 2018
History is a mosaic of individual accounts of past events — not necessarily the most trenchant or authoritative accounts, but simply the ones that archivists could find.

— alex kingsbury, BostonGlobe.com, "You’ve got mail — for now," 10 May 2018
And there's no denying that Apostolina has a real flair for naturalistic dialogue and darkly trenchant humor.

— f. kathleen foley, latimes.com, "In Atwater, a dark secret at the center of 'Forever Bound'," 25 May 2018
Installing them near the works of Tomah, Bridges, and Cayard brings their trenchant message home.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "Old and new meet at Portland Museum of Art Biennial," 19 Apr. 2018
Warnock’s speech warmed up the faithful with laughs, often followed up later by trenchant criticism.

— christina tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "Pastor of MLK's former church discusses King's legacy at interfaith event in Baltimore," 13 Apr. 2018
Diamond has updated the material to the late aughts (specifically 2007-'09, the two years leading up to Barack Obama's inauguration) and turned it to her own trenchant uses—uses made vivid in Hallie Gordon's staging for Writers Theatre.

— Chicago Reader, "Lydia Diamond’s Smart People offers an advanced degree in race relations," 5 Apr. 2018

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

Did You Know?

The word trenchant comes from the Anglo-French verb trencher, meaning "to cut," and may ultimately derive from the Vulgar Latin trinicare, meaning "to cut in three." Hence, a trenchant sword is one with a keen edge; a trenchant remark is one that cuts deep; and a trenchant observation is one that cuts to the heart of the matter. Relatives of trenchant in English include the noun trench ("a long ditch cut into the ground") and the verb retrench ("to cut down or pare away" or "to cut down expenses").