piquant
Americanadjective
-
agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or flavor; pleasantly biting or tart.
a piquant aspic.
- Synonyms:
- spicy
- Antonyms:
- insipid
-
agreeably stimulating, interesting, or attractive.
a piquant glance.
-
of an interestingly provocative or lively character.
a piquant wit.
-
Archaic. sharp or stinging, especially to the feelings.
adjective
-
having an agreeably pungent or tart taste
-
lively or stimulating to the mind
Other Word Forms
- piquancy noun
- piquantly adverb
- piquantness noun
Etymology
Origin of piquant
First recorded in 1515–25; from French: literally, “pricking” ( pique 1, -ant ); replacing pickante, from Italian piccante
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shrimp Pilau, like many of the entrees, is flavored with one of Mr. Twitty’s seasoning mixtures, in this case Kitchen Pepper, a blend of eight piquant spices that goes back to Colonial times.
What a piquant moment for Nine Inch Nails to be back on the road playing their version of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans.”
From Los Angeles Times
This set off culture clashes that resonated throughout the industry — and yielded some piquant anecdotes.
From Los Angeles Times
“That night we served the hard-boiled eggs with a piquant herbaceous dressing that is somewhere at the intersection of gremolata, chimichurri and paradise,” he continued.
From Salon
The piquant pudding is one of many foods widely eaten in the Caribbean country that has its origins in Africa and has survived to this day.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
