punchy

[ puhn-chee ]
See synonyms for punchy on Thesaurus.com
adjective,punch·i·er, punch·i·est.Informal.
  1. being or appearing vigorously effective; forceful.

Origin of punchy

1
First recorded in 1935–40; punch1 + -y1

Other words from punchy

  • punch·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby punchy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use punchy in a sentence

  • He had an answer ready for everything Lehrer and Obama threw at him, and his answers were punchy and memorable.

    The Professor and the Consultant | Megan McArdle | October 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Some years back, I found myself in mid-book tour, 10 days or so in, a bit punchy and tired of my own voice.

    Would My Father Have Voted for Obama? | Christopher Buckley | May 12, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Beautiful place, punchy, and the mountain air seems to come down with the water and fill you full of strength.

    !Tention | George Manville Fenn
  • Bagsby was a punchy man, with a bald head, and a nose which betokened his habitual addiction to the fiery grape of Portugal.

  • The wind would almost tear the roof off, and punchy howled—he thought he was dying, too, maybe.

    The Brass Bound Box | Evelyn Raymond
  • I get another cuffing around but I am too punchy already to feel anything.

    Operation Earthworm | Joe Archibald
  • They rode punchy Burma ponies, with string stirrups, red cloth saddles, and red bell-rope headstalls.

    Soldiers Three, Part II. | Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for punchy

punchy

/ (ˈpʌntʃɪ) /


adjectivepunchier or punchiest
  1. an informal word for punch-drunk

  2. informal incisive or forceful: a punchy article

Derived forms of punchy

  • punchily, adverb
  • punchiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012