trenchant

adjective

tren·​chant ˈtren-chənt 

1

: keen, sharp

2

: vigorously effective and articulate

a trenchant analysis

also : caustic

trenchant remarks

3

a

: sharply perceptive : penetrating

a trenchant view of current conditions

b

: clear-cut, distinct

the trenchant divisions between right and wrong

—Edith Wharton

trenchantly adverb

Did you know?

There’s much to know about the word trenchant, but we’ll cut to the chase. The word trenchant comes from the Anglo-French verb trencher, meaning “to cut.” Hence, a trenchant sword is one with a keen edge. Nowadays, trenchant mostly describes things that don’t cut deep literally, but that are still felt: a trenchant remark is one that cuts close to the bone, and a trenchant observation is one that cuts to the heart of the matter. In addition to meaning “caustic” and “sharply perceptive,” trenchant also carries a sense meaning “very strong, clear, and effective” that may be used, for instance, to describe a persuasive essay written with intellectual rigor. If you find yourself forgetting these “edgy” definitions, you might dig up a familiar relative of trenchant: the noun trench, which refers to a long cut or ditch in the ground.

Synonyms

• cutting
• edged
• edgy
• ground
• honed
• keen
• sharp
• sharpened
• stropped
• whetted

Examples of trenchant in a Sentence

a writer with a trenchant wit

even the most trenchant sword could not sever the bonds of loyalty between them

Recent Examples on the Web

Looming over all of this is Netflix, one of the first subscription streaming services and the first to figure out most of the trenchant questions facing the industry, while growing to 290 million subscribers worldwide. —David Bloom, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024

As a result, those earlier, more trenchant observations about Frida’s plight are underbaked by the story’s end. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2024

But this time around, in Industry’s most thematically cohesive outing yet, creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay have woven together each character’s storyline with a trenchant critique of capitalism that brands itself as benevolent. —Judy Berman, TIME, 2 Aug. 2024

Collectively, their work is dedicated to the memory of Harriet Jacobs, author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, a trenchant autobiographical account of her enslavement in Edenton and escape to freedom. —Colony Little, ARTnews.com, 25 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English trenchaunt, from Anglo-French, present participle of trencher

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

trenchant

adjective

tren·​chant ˈtren-chənt 

1

: having a sharp edge or point : cutting

2

: sharply perceptive : penetrating

a trenchant view of the situation

3

: forceful and effective in expressing ideas

a trenchant analysis

trenchantly adverb