punchier; punchiest
1
c
: zesty
It is an elegant dish, although the sauce seems overly polite now. I remember it when the fresh coriander was an intense and punchy flavor.—
Caroline Bates
Caroline Bates2
: dazed, punch-drunk
… I arrived in Paris after a thirteen-hour flight, unwashed, unshaved, punchy from jet lag, discombobulated …—David Berlinski
David BerlinskiSynonyms
- addle
- addled
- addlepated
- bedeviled
- befogged
- befuddled
- bemused
- bewildered
- bushed [chiefly Australian]
- confounded
- confused
- dazed
- distracted
- dizzy
- dopey
- dopy
- fogged
- mixed-up
- muddleheaded
- muzzy
- pixilated
- pixillated
- punch-drunk
- raddled
- shell-shocked
- silly
- slaphappy
- spaced-out
- spaced
- spacey
- spacy
- stunned
- stupefied
- zonked
- zonked-out
Examples of punchy in a Sentence
shrimp in a punchy sauce
She was punchy with fatigue.
Recent Examples on the Web
The florals which lean into reimagining garments inspired by the natural world appeared in assorted hues including orange, lilac, a bright teal, a bold magenta, and even a punchy orange color.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 7 May 2024
The stall will import Spanish beer like Estrella, have some punchy sangria and potentially a few Spanish wines and non-alcoholic beverages like Kas — a citrusy, slightly bitter aperitivo-style drink popular in Spain.
—Kayleigh Ruller, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2024
The line’s wit, combined with Lamar’s punchy, triumphant delivery, quickly went viral on social media, and became a flash point in the entire feud: Lamar had successfully used his skills as a musician and a wordsmith to persuade people that Drake was a genuinely bad person.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
Lemon juice: Squeeze the citrus yourself for the best flavor (rather than turning to the lemon juice products sold in supermarkets, which often taste less punchy and more bitter).
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2024
Or go for baked French feta with marinated olives and a punchy jalapeño basil oil; the classic Lula ‘99 turkey sandwich layered with avocado, lettuce, and chili oil; or this writer’s favorite warming chickpea and fennel tagine with spiced green harissa and sweet golden raisins.
—Ari Bendersky, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Externally, Fessenden delivers some old-fashioned verve to Charley’s handful of transformations: punchy editing, harsh sound, freaky practical effects and Hurt’s physical, raging-drunk abandon under garish mask work.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Garland balances this punchy tone with shockingly gory images of torture, lynchings, bodies in the streets, mass graves, firing squads.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
Rooted in cottagecore, these mini-blooms are a far cry from the blousy florals of chintz or the punchy flowers of pop art.
—Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2024
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 7 May 2024
The stall will import Spanish beer like Estrella, have some punchy sangria and potentially a few Spanish wines and non-alcoholic beverages like Kas — a citrusy, slightly bitter aperitivo-style drink popular in Spain.
—Kayleigh Ruller, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2024
The line’s wit, combined with Lamar’s punchy, triumphant delivery, quickly went viral on social media, and became a flash point in the entire feud: Lamar had successfully used his skills as a musician and a wordsmith to persuade people that Drake was a genuinely bad person.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
Lemon juice: Squeeze the citrus yourself for the best flavor (rather than turning to the lemon juice products sold in supermarkets, which often taste less punchy and more bitter).
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2024
Or go for baked French feta with marinated olives and a punchy jalapeño basil oil; the classic Lula ‘99 turkey sandwich layered with avocado, lettuce, and chili oil; or this writer’s favorite warming chickpea and fennel tagine with spiced green harissa and sweet golden raisins.
—Ari Bendersky, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Externally, Fessenden delivers some old-fashioned verve to Charley’s handful of transformations: punchy editing, harsh sound, freaky practical effects and Hurt’s physical, raging-drunk abandon under garish mask work.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Garland balances this punchy tone with shockingly gory images of torture, lynchings, bodies in the streets, mass graves, firing squads.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
Rooted in cottagecore, these mini-blooms are a far cry from the blousy florals of chintz or the punchy flowers of pop art.
—Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punchy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near punchy
Cite this Entry
“Punchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punchy. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
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