Synonyms for pungent
- adjective
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Spicy — having a strong odor that stings the nose; said especially of acidic or spicy substances
spicy, piquant, caustic, sharp, poignant, biting, bitter, sour, sarcastic, strong, stinging, trenchant, hot, mordant, racy, penetrating, tart, barbed, assertive, severe, keen, excruciating
Other
acrid, peppery, tasty, acute, stimulating, smart, epigrammatic
Definitions
- adj. 1
Having a strong odor that stings the nose; said especially of acidic or spicy substances.
I accidentally dropped the bottle of ammonia and after few seconds, a very pungent stench could be detected.
Choose the right word
Pungent suggests the effect of pepper or snuff on the organs of taste or smell; as, a pungent odor.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- spicy We explained to him that we don't like spicy food.
- poignant The poignant ending of the movie made all of us cry.
- caustic Our English teacher likes to make caustic comments.
- piquant The piquant aroma of his food made everyone's mouth water.
- acute The patient is suffering from acute cardiac pain.
- tasty French cooking aims at making healthy, tasty food.
By length
- 3 letters
- hot1
- 4 letters
- keen1, sour2, tart1, racy2
- 5 letters
- smart1, sharp1, acute2, spicy2, tasty2, acrid2
- 6 letters
- strong1, severe2, bitter2, biting2, barbed1
- 7 letters
- caustic2, peppery, piquant2, mordant2
- 8 letters
- poignant2, stinging2
- 9 letters
- sarcastic3, assertive3, trenchant2
- 11 letters
- stimulating4, penetrating4
- 12 letters
- excruciating5, epigrammatic5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (sour2 = 2 syllables).