pungent
Having a strong odor that stings the nose; said especially of acidic or spicy substances.
Example
“I accidentally dropped the bottle of ammonia and after few seconds, a very pungent stench could be detected.”
Other meanings
Having a strong taste that stings the tongue; said especially of hot (spicy) food, which has a strong and sharp or bitter taste.
Stinging; acerbic.
“The critic gave a pungent review.”
Related words
- nonpungent
- overpungent
- unpungent
- pungence
- pungency
- pungently
Word history
From Latin "pungens".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “pungent” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.