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pungent

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of pungent

1 having a powerfully stimulating odor or flavor
  • a pungent chili that is not for those with timid taste buds
Synonyms of pungent

nippy, sharp, strong, tangy
Words Related to pungent

acid, acidic

acrid, bitter, harsh

gingery, hot, peppery, piquant, spicy, tart, zesty, zingy

putrid, rancid, rank, skunky

appetizing, delectable, delicious, palatable, toothsome

flavorful, savory (also savoury), tasty

aromatic, redolent
Near Antonyms of pungent

aged, mellow, ripe

gentle, soft

flat, flavorless, insipid

savorless, tasteless, zestless

dilute, thin, watery, weak
Antonyms of pungent

bland, mild, smooth
2 marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
  • a pungent put-down that she will not soon forget
Synonyms of pungent

acerbic, acid, acidic, acrid, barbed, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordant, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric (or satirical), scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, tart
Words Related to pungent

brisk, cross, sharp-tongued, sour, sourish, spiky (also spikey), tartish

incisive, keen, poignant, trenchant

cynical, dry, ironic (also ironical), wry

facetious, flippant, tongue-in-cheek

acrimonious, bitter, resentful, vitriolic

harsh, rough, severe, stringent

abrupt, blunt, brusque (also brusk), concise, crisp, curt, gruff, pithy, snippety, snippy, succinct, terse

backhanded, insincere
Near Antonyms of pungent

amusing, droll, merry, playful, sportive, waggish

gentle, mild

bland

good-humored, good-natured

diplomatic, polite, smooth, suave, urbane

affable, cordial, genial, gracious, hospitable, sociable
3 sharp and pleasantly stimulating to the mind or senses
  • a newspaper columnist known for his pungent observations on everyday life
Synonyms of pungent

pert, piquant, poignant, salty, savory (also savoury), zesty, zingy
Words Related to pungent

racy, spicy

fiery, gingery, hot, peppery, vinegary

acute, keen

biting, bitter, cutting, mordant, trenchant

animating, energizing, enlightening, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, piquing, provocative, provoking

ambrosial, appetizing, delectable, delicious, luscious, palatable, scrumptious, toothsome

flavorful, savorous, tasty
Near Antonyms of pungent

flat, flavorless, savorless, tasteless

arid, banal, barren, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, dry, dull, flat, humdrum, leaden, monotonous, numbing, pedestrian, ponderous, stale, stodgy, tedious, tiring, wearisome

bland, dilute, thin, watery, weak
Antonyms of pungent

insipid, zestless

Synonym Discussion of pungent

pungent, piquant, poignant, racy 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
piquant suggests a power to whet the appetite or interest through tartness or mild pungency.
    • a piquant sauce
poignant suggests something is sharply or piercingly effective in stirring one's emotions.
    • felt a poignant sense of loss
racy implies having a strongly characteristic natural quality fresh and unimpaired.
    • spontaneous, racy prose

Learn More about pungent

  1. Dictionary: Definition of pungent Medical Dictionary: Definition of pungent Spanish Central: Translation of pungent Nglish: Translation of pungent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pungent for Arabic speakers

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