trenchant
[ tren-chuhnt ]
/ ˈtrɛn tʃənt /
adjective
incisive or keen, as language or a person; caustic; cutting: trenchant wit.
vigorous; effective; energetic: a trenchant policy of political reform.
clearly or sharply defined; clear-cut; distinct.
Origin of trenchant
OTHER WORDS FROM trenchant
trench·an·cy, noun trench·ant·ly, adverbWords nearby trenchant
trench foot,
trench knife,
trench mortar,
trench mouth,
trench warfare,
trenchant,
trenchard,
trencher,
trencherman,
trenches,
trend
Example sentences from the Web for trenchancy
Still, trenchancy whether in speaker or writer is a most effective tone for a large public.
Critical Miscellanies, Volume I (of 3) |John MorleyBut the ardour of the disciple pressed objections home with a trenchancy that is very unlike the sage distillations of the master.
Diderot and the Encyclopaedists (Vol 1 of 2) |John MorleyThe trenchancy with which his atheist urges his reasoning, proves that the writer was fully alive to its force.
Diderot and the Encyclopaedists (Vol 1 of 2) |John Morley
British Dictionary definitions for trenchancy
trenchant
/ (ˈtrɛntʃənt) /
adjective
keen or incisive
trenchant criticism
vigorous and effective
a trenchant foreign policy
distinctly defined
a trenchant outline
archaic, or poetic
sharp
a trenchant sword
Derived forms of trenchant
trenchancy, noun trenchantly, adverbWord Origin for trenchant
C14: from Old French
trenchant cutting, from
trenchier to cut; see
trench