as in sharpened
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something
even the most trenchant sword could not sever the bonds of loyalty between them
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Recent Examples of trenchant
The more trenchant critique, surely, is that the entwining of art and life has become a tiresome conceit, predicated on the bland notion that all great fiction must have an autobiographical component and a therapeutic aim.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
It is accompanied by a quietly trenchant voice over, mostly written by scribes Rafael Cobos and Fran Araújo, explaining intricacies of characters and historical through-lines.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Janion’s analyses are trenchant but also hopeful.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Amid the churn in Europe and globally, with trenchant nationalism on the rise, and a war raging in Ukraine just 1,200 miles from the palace, many might say that having a hereditary royal as their head of state offers some reassuring continuity, acting as a counterweight to political upheaval.
—Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trenchant
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
It is accompanied by a quietly trenchant voice over, mostly written by scribes Rafael Cobos and Fran Araújo, explaining intricacies of characters and historical through-lines.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Janion’s analyses are trenchant but also hopeful.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Amid the churn in Europe and globally, with trenchant nationalism on the rise, and a war raging in Ukraine just 1,200 miles from the palace, many might say that having a hereditary royal as their head of state offers some reassuring continuity, acting as a counterweight to political upheaval.
—Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trenchant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trenchant
sharp
Adjective
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All that credit goes to the co-creators Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and director Tye Blue, who have crafted one of the sharpest books Broadway has seen in years.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
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After that, they’re called thornbacks, a thornback being a bottom-feeding skatelike fish with sharp spikes running along its spine.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trenchant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trenchant. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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