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trenchant

 - 3 dictionary results

trench⋅ant

  [tren-chuhnt]
Use trenchant in a Sentence
–adjective
1. incisive or keen, as language or a person; caustic; cutting: trenchant wit.
2. vigorous; effective; energetic: a trenchant policy of political reform.
3. clearly or sharply defined; clear-cut; distinct.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME tranchaunt < AF; OF trenchant, prp. of trenchier to cut. See trench, -ant

Related forms:
trench⋅an⋅cy, noun
trench⋅ant⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. sharp, biting, acute.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To trenchant
trench·ant   (trěn'chənt)   
adj.  

  1. Forceful, effective, and vigorous: a trenchant argument. See Synonyms at incisive.

  2. Caustic; cutting: trenchant criticism.

  3. Distinct; clear-cut.


[Middle English, from Old French, cutting, from present participle of trenchier, to cut; see trench.]
trench'an·cy n., trench'ant·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

trenchant 
c.1330, "cutting, sharp," from O.Fr. trenchant "cutting, sharp," prp. of trenchier "to cut" (see trench). Figurative sense is recorded from 1603.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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