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Definition of pungent adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pungent

adjective
 
/ˈpʌndʒənt/
 
/ˈpʌndʒənt/
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  1. having a strong taste or smell
    • the pungent smell of burning rubber
    • The air was pungent with the smell of spices.
    • The marinade is more pungent than soy sauce.
    Synonyms bitterbitterpungent ▪ sour ▪ acrid ▪ sharp ▪ acidThese words all describe a strong, unpleasant taste or smell.bitter (of a taste or smell) strong and usually unpleasant; (of food or drink) having a bitter taste.pungent (of a smell or taste) strong and usually unpleasant; (of food or smoke) having a pungent smell or taste:
    • the pungent smell of burning rubber
    sour (of a taste) bitter like the taste of a lemon or of fruit that is not ready to eat; (of food or drink) having a sour taste:
    • Too much pulp produces a sour wine.
    acrid (of a smell or taste) strong and unpleasant; (of smoke) having an acrid smell:
    • acrid smoke from burning tyres
    sharp (of a taste or smell) strong and slightly bitter; (of food or drink) having a sharp taste:
    • The cheese has a distinctively sharp taste.
    acid (of a taste or smell) bitter, like the taste of a lemon or of fruit that is not ready to eat; (of food or drink) having an acid taste.    which word?A bitter taste is usually unpleasant, but some people enjoy the bitter taste of coffee or chocolate. No other word can describe this taste. A sharp or pungent taste is more strong than unpleasant, especially when describing cheese. Sharp, sour and acid all describe the taste of a lemon or a fruit that is not ready to eat. An acrid smell is strong and unpleasant, especially the smell of smoke or burning, but not the smell of food.Patterns
    • a(n) bitter/​pungent/​sour/​acrid/​sharp/​acid taste/​flavour
    • a(n) bitter/​pungent/​acrid/​sharp/​acid smell/​odour
    • a(n) bitter/​sour/​sharp/​acid fruit
    • pungent/​sharp cheese
    • pungent/​acrid smoke
    Wordfinder
    Topics Cooking and eatingc2
  2. direct and having a strong effect
    • pungent criticism
    3. Word Originlate 16th cent. (in the sense ‘very painful or distressing’): from Latin pungent- ‘pricking’, from the verb pungere.
See pungent in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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