piquant

adjective

pi·​quant ˈpē-kənt  -ˌkänt 

ˈpi-kwənt

1

: agreeably stimulating to the taste

especially : having a pleasantly pungent, sharp, or spicy taste

a piquant sauce

To start, we pureed cilantro, spinach and a jalapeno in a blender to form a bright, piquant base for cooking the rice.

—Lawman Johnson

2

: engagingly provocative or stimulating

… along the way we learn such piquant details as the fact that the great physicist Michael Faraday knew no math to speak of.

—Tracy Kidder

also : having a lively and often mischievous charm

a piquant sense of humor

piquantly adverb

a piquantly flavorful soup

a piquantly funny novel

piquantness noun

the piquantness of the mustard

Did you know?

Piquant flavors "sting" the tongue and piquant words "prick" the intellect, arousing interest. These varying senses reflect the etymology of the word piquant, which first appeared in English in the 17th century and which derives from the Middle French verb piquer, meaning "to sting" or "to prick." Though first used to describe foods with spicy flavors, the word is now often used to describe things that are spicy in other ways, such as engaging conversation. Have we piqued your curiosity about another piquer offspring? If you’ve already guessed that the verb pique, meaning "to offend" or "to arouse by provocation," comes from piquer, too, you’ve got a sharp mind.

Synonyms

• pert
• poignant
• pungent
• salty
• savory
• savoury
• zesty
• zingy

Choose the Right Synonym for piquant

pungent, piquant, poignant, racy mean sharp and stimulating to the mind or the senses.

pungent implies a sharp, stinging, or biting quality especially of odors.

a cheese with a pungent odor

piquant suggests a power to whet the appetite or interest through tartness or mild pungency.

a piquant sauce

poignant suggests something is sharply or piercingly effective in stirring one's emotions.

felt a poignant sense of loss

racy implies having a strongly characteristic natural quality fresh and unimpaired.

spontaneous, racy prose

Examples of piquant in a Sentence

piquant vegetables seasoned with pepper

He served the fish with a piquant sauce.

a piquant bit of gossip

Recent Examples on the Web

Here, from the February 21, 1925, issue, are some particularly piquant reminders of shows past. —The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2025

Their piquant sensitivity and horror have no equal in Millennial literature and journalism, which have become merely, rabidly politicized — so very socialist and anti-American that today’s media throws its hands up at the L.A. conflagration. —Armond White, National Review, 31 Jan. 2025

The dish: Try the perfectly toasty Traditional Beef empanada, its filling dotted with piquant Kalamata olives and sweet raisins, with a side of chimichurri. —Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2025

Raw tuna is often presented in ways that emphasize its subtlety and richness; here, instead, all those piquant, pickly bits seem to give the fish’s oceanic sweetness permission to flex and flow, revealing its character the way a few drops of water open up a rare single malt. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from present participle of piquer

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

piquant

adjective

pi·​quant ˈpē-kənt  -ˌkänt 

1

: agreeably stimulating to the taste

especially : spicy sense 1

2

: pleasingly exciting

a piquant bit of gossip

piquantly adverb