piquant

adjective

pi·​quant ˈpē-kənt How to pronounce piquant (audio) -ˌkänt How to pronounce piquant (audio)
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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Even a humble staple like queso is elevated with smokey undertones, a version so good that it can easily be eaten by the spoonful, alternating with the addictively piquant salsa verde that comes to the table with warm tortilla chips. Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for piquant 

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from present participle of piquer

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of piquant was in 1645

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Dictionary Entries Near piquant

Cite this Entry

“Piquant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piquant. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

piquant

adjective
pi·​quant ˈpē-kənt How to pronounce piquant (audio) -ˌkänt How to pronounce piquant (audio)
1
: agreeably stimulating to the taste
especially : spicy sense 1
2
: pleasingly exciting
a piquant bit of gossip
piquantly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on piquant

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