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trenchant

adjective
tren·​chant | \ ˈtren-chÉ™nt How to pronounce trenchant (audio) \

Definition of trenchant

1 : keen, sharp
2 : vigorously effective and articulate a trenchant analysis also : caustic trenchant remarks
3a : sharply perceptive : penetrating a trenchant view of current conditions
b : clear-cut, distinct the trenchant divisions between right and wrong— Edith Wharton
Other Words from trenchant Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about trenchant

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Other Words from trenchant

trenchantly adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for trenchant

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

blunt, blunted, dull, dulled, obtuse

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Did You Know?

The word trenchant comes from the Anglo-French verb trencher, meaning "to cut," and may ultimately derive from the Vulgar Latin trinicare, meaning "to cut in three." Hence, a trenchant sword is one with a keen edge; a trenchant remark is one that cuts deep; and a trenchant observation is one that cuts to the heart of the matter. Relatives of trenchant in English include the noun trench ("a long ditch cut into the ground") and the verb retrench ("to cut down or pare away" or "to cut down expenses").

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

 The ever-shifting media landscape is a fitting backdrop for Ms. Mechling’s trenchant look at the subjective nature of status envy. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: Friendships, Rivalries, Hierarchies & Reversals," 21 June 2019 Berger was also well known as the trenchant and controversial art critic of the New Statesman and New Society. — Lisa Appignanesi, The New York Review of Books, "Berger’s Ways of Being," 9 May 2019 To the Atlantic’s Adam Serwer, a trenchant critic of Trump’s racial politics, that last objection misses the point. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "Trump’s racism cements his party’s place among the West’s far right," 16 July 2019 That trenchant rhyme is an outlier among Mr. Cale’s lyrics, which generally abjure technical polish in favor of imagery and emotion. — New York Times, "Review: Surviving a Family From Hell in ‘We’re Only Alive’," 27 June 2019 Plus, fraternal camaraderie, which Zeffirelli inevitably finds trenchant as well as erotic, as did his Renaissance forbears. — Armond White, National Review, "Franco Zeffirelli: Unlikely Conservative Hero," 20 June 2019 This time Geoffrey Elton combined an unequaled grasp of the voluminous archives of the period with a powerful intellect, a trenchant prose style, and supreme self-confidence. — Keith Thomas, The New York Review of Books, "The Power Broker," 17 Jan. 2019 Leaders of some unregistered churches have unleashed some of the most trenchant critiques of Mr. Xi’s government, often couched in Biblical metaphor and driven by a sense of justice. — Eva Dou, WSJ, "Detained Chinese Pastor: Xi’s God-Like Status ‘Incompatible With the Christian Faith’," 10 Dec. 2018 Breaking through the plane of the picture but retaining its trenchant symmetry, the Virgin rests her elbow on the painting’s illusionistic marble frame. — Mary Tompkins Lewis, WSJ, "‘Mantegna and Bellini’ Review: A Family Affair," 3 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trenchant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of trenchant

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for trenchant

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

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More Definitions for trenchant

trenchant

adjective
How to pronounce trenchant (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of trenchant

formal : very strong, clear, and effective

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More from Merriam-Webster on trenchant

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with trenchant

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for trenchant

Spanish Central: Translation of trenchant

Nglish: Translation of trenchant for Spanish Speakers

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