pungent

 
Pronunciation: /ˈpʌn(d)ʒ(ə)nt/

adjective

  • having a sharply strong taste or smell: the pungent smell of frying onions
  • (of comment, criticism, or humour) having a sharp and caustic quality: he has expressed some fairly pungent criticisms

Derivatives

pungency

noun

pungently

adverb

Origin:

late 16th century (in the sense 'very painful or distressing'): from Latin pungent- 'pricking', from the verb pungere