1
2
3

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective pungent contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pungent are piquant, poignant, and racy. While all these words mean "sharp and stimulating to the mind or the senses," pungent implies a sharp, stinging, or biting quality especially of odors.

a cheese with a pungent odor

When might piquant be a better fit than pungent?

While in some cases nearly identical to pungent, piquant suggests a power to whet the appetite or interest through tartness or mild pungency.

a piquant sauce

When could poignant be used to replace pungent?

The words poignant and pungent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, poignant suggests something is sharply or piercingly effective in stirring one's emotions.

felt a poignant sense of loss

When can racy be used instead of pungent?

While the synonyms racy and pungent are close in meaning, racy implies having a strongly characteristic natural quality fresh and unimpaired.

spontaneous, racy prose

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pungent Once these yellow, red, orange, or cream blooms appear, squirrels will leave them alone due to their strong, pungent odor. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2025 Swift kept experimenting to make her music more pungent, more extreme, even more her. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025 In addition to security concerns, Sun Fresh spent a significant amount of time and resources working to locate a pungent sewage smell many customers complained about. Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2025 The spicy jerk chicken had a marinated sauce that gave it a pungent hotness. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pungent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pungent
Adjective
  • Unlike other game-day snacks like chips or popcorn, where flavors and textures can get a little one-note after a while, ALDI’s Cajun Trail Mix keeps your taste buds entertained with different flavors—salty, sweet, and spicy—and different textures, too.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The sandwich options vary by protein, with choices including Spam, bacon, ham and spicy pork.
    Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The tequila daisy cocktail, served in a clay cantarito cup smudged with sumac salt, is piquant with ancho verde, mellowed with summer strawberry.
    Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • His piquant style of writing in the unfinished tell-all feels like dropping into a gossip circle in the most glamorous (and cutting) powder room on the planet.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In a skillet or in the oven, the beans simmer in a tangy tomato sauce doused in rich olive oil, with oregano, garlic, and red pepper flakes shining through.
    Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Oct. 2025
  • While what kind of crust a Key Lime pie should have is often up for discussion, there’s no debate as heated as what should top the tangy pie.
    Amber Love Bond, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • And the show has to be satirical.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Kuang's latest is a satirical look at the brutal nature of academia.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In a particularly poignant moment in the film, Jiang stands by the window at night and pretends to capture and punch the shadow of a security guard downstairs.
    Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Another Taylor Swift album, another poignant Track 5 to listen to on repeat.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In fact, while vision isn’t their strongest sense, dogs may even be able to see certain aspects of a TV show.
    Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Oct. 2025
  • The young right-hander put together a strong season, but few were better after the All-Star break.
    Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Following the mother-daughter duo of Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, and Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, Gilmore Girls was perfectly made for millennials, packed with wistful romances, frustrating dramatic turns and just enough sarcastic jokes.
    Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Viewers on Reddit were amused by the extortionate price shown for the vacation deal in the recent post, with several sharing their sarcastic takes on it.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The world is full of delicious Negroni variations, but few and far between are the ones that work as harmoniously as this.
    Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Meaty, creamy and simply delicious!
    Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Pungent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pungent. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pungent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!