Pungent is an adjective that qualifies something like piercing, sharp and intense, which causes a very vivid and painful impression, being generally directly related to the sensation of pain.
In this sense, a stinging pain it is one that is quite strong and painful, that causes feelings of anguish and distress.
This adjective can also represent the state of a weapon or object that has a sharp and rigid tip, capable of piercing and injuring.
In the figurative sense of this term, pungent also characterizes something that arouses an intense and strong sensation in the taste, smell or hearing, usually related to what is unpleasant in nature.
Example:"The pungent smell of the fish infested the entire kitchen".
Pungent is something very intense, acute, torturous, bordering on unbearable, and can be used to describe the degree of intensity of a certain thing, such as longing, pain, sadness, happiness, a smell, a taste and etc.
When talking about "pungent action" it means that this is done in an intense, active and extreme way.
Synonyms for poignant
Among some of the main synonyms for pungent, the following stand out:
- painful
- Excruciating
- distressing
- distressing
- tearing
- Acute
- Exciting
- Pointed
- crucial
- Painful
- nagging
- Torturing.