trenchant

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
trenchant
    adj 1: having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in
           thought, expression, or intellect; "searching insights";
           "trenchant criticism" [syn: {searching}, {trenchant}]
    2: characterized by or full of force and vigor; "a hard-hitting
       expose"; "a trenchant argument" [syn: {hard-hitting},
       {trenchant}]
    3: clearly or sharply defined to the mind; "clear-cut evidence
       of tampering"; "Claudius was the first to invade Britain with
       distinct...intentions of conquest"; "trenchant distinctions
       between right and wrong" [syn: {clear-cut}, {distinct},
       {trenchant}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Trenchant \Trench"ant\, a. [OF. trenchant, F. tranchant, p. pr.
   See {Trench}, v. t.]
   1. Fitted to trench or cut; gutting; sharp. " Trenchant was
      the blade." --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Fig.: Keen; biting; severe; as, trenchant wit.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
134 Moby Thesaurus words for "trenchant":
      acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous,
      acrid, acrimonious, active, acute, aggressive, animated,
      apperceptive, appercipient, argute, asperous, astringent, astute,
      biting, bitter, brisk, caustic, clear-cut, cogent, corroding,
      corrosive, crisp, cutting, discerning, double-edged, driving,
      dynamic, edged, effective, energetic, enterprising, enthusiastic,
      escharotic, farseeing, farsighted, fierce, forceful, forcible,
      foreseeing, foresighted, forethoughted, forethoughtful,
      full of pep, go-go, gutsy, harsh, hearty, imperative, impetuous,
      impressive, incisive, ingoing, intense, irritating, keen, kinetic,
      lively, living, longheaded, longsighted, lusty, mettlesome,
      mordacious, mordant, nervous, nose-tickling, penetrating, peppy,
      perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, perspicuous, piercing,
      piquant, poignant, pointed, powerful, probing, provident, punchy,
      pungent, rigorous, robust, rough, sagacious, salty, sarcastic,
      sardonic, satiric, scalding, scathing, scorching, sensational,
      severe, sharp, sinewed, sinewy, slashing, smacking, snappy, sour,
      spanking, spirited, stabbing, stinging, strenuous, strident,
      striking, stringent, strong, take-charge, take-over, tart, telling,
      understanding, vehement, vibrant, vigorous, violent, virulent,
      vital, vitriolic, vivacious, vivid, withering, zestful, zesty,
      zippy

    

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