pungent

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pungent

/ˈpʌnd͡ʒənt/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin pungens (stem pungent-), present participle of pungo (“to sting”). Doublet of poignant.

adjective more pungent · most pungent

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.
Similar: poignant, assertive
Having a strong taste that stings the tongue; said especially of hot (spicy) food, which has a strong and sharp or bitter taste.
Similar: poignant, assertive
figuratively Stinging; acerbic. The critic gave a pungent review.
Having a sharp and stiff point.

Translations

Every language

adj having a strong flavor

Español	acre, acerbo, pungente
Română	înțepător

adj having a strong odour

Español	acre, pungente
中文	刺鼻 cìbí
Français	âcre
Deutsch	stechend, beißend, penetrant
Italiano	pungente, acre
Ελληνικά	δριμύς drimýs, οξύς oxýs, αψύς apsýs
Română	înțepător
Русский	е́дкий jédkij, о́стрый óstryj
Tiếng Việt	hăng, gắt

adj having a sharp and stiff point

Español	punzante, pungente
中文	辛辣 xīnlà
Français	pointu, piquant
Italiano	salace, pungente, tagliente, mordace, caustico, sferzante
Ελληνικά	δηκτικός diktikós, καυστικός kafstikós
Русский	е́дкий jédkij, о́стрый óstryj

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MLA

"pungent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pungent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pungent. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pungent

Chicago

"pungent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pungent.

BibTeX

@misc{pungent_2026,
  title = {pungent},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pungent},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}