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 By definition, herbs are the pungent leafy portions of certain plants, while spices are derived from seeds, fruits, flowers, or roots. Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025 This is the most common type of black salt, known for its pungent and savory flavor. Lindsey Desoto, Health, 24 Sep. 2025 From November through February, when the elusive fungi are especially pungent, guests learn about America’s flourishing truffle market and the importance of domestic cultivation, as Luca’s nose helps unearth Black Périgords and Kentucky Winter White Truffles, a native variety discovered in 2020. Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025 Swift kept experimenting to make her music more pungent, more extreme, even more her. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pungent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pungent
Adjective
  • Glancing around the standing-room-only party, filled with joyful hugs and happy chatter as guests drank spicy margaritas and nibbled on fries in paper cones printed with quotes from the book, a dazed Brown smiled.
    Hadley Meares, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Best said that raw purees of garlic, onion, and ginger are spicy and pungent.
    Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The spicy Korean burger is for the more adventurous among us, but the piquant pickled slaw on top is super addictive.
    Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • Expect more packages of tangy gummies, riding off a meteoric high last year.
    Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
  • This deliciously easy cream cheese frosting comes together in minutes and will add that signature sweet, tangy flavor to your favorite carrot cake recipe, pumpkin bread, or brownies.
    Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Light, silly, and satirical, knowing your genre tropes makes for an even better viewing experience.
    Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Director and co-writer Byun Sung-hyun signals his satirical interests early, skipping an intense look at the start of the attack and focusing on an earplug-donning passenger who sleeps through the initial proclamation.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But for those crafting it with Boorman, the nightmare is more painful and more poignant than that.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
  • But there’s something different — something more poignant — about watching this particular circle begin to vanish.
    Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Rockets big man Alperen Şengün was limited to 5-of-18 shooting after a strong season opener in Oklahoma City.
    Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Smith cited a strong support network for transgender students on campus during her appearance.
    Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Justine Lupe plays Joanne’s sarcastic best friend, sister, sometimes-advisor and podcast co-host Morgan Williams.
    Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • As a model named Carl, stuck in a relationship corrupted by microcelebrity and Instagram view counts, Dickinson ticks with exasperation and sarcastic logic, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide and staring.
    Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But harness a touch of Scotland’s inimitable peat, and the Rob Roy really steps into its own, the vermouth offering sweetness to the scotch’s smoke, their interplay both delicious and unique.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Greet guests with a warm welcome, a house drink, and a few delicious appetizers.
    Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Pungent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pungent. Accessed 28 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!