pungentpun‧gent /ˈpʌndʒənt/ adjective 
the pungent odour of garlic2 formal pungent speech or writing is clever and direct, and usually criticizes someone or something strongly: He expressed some fairly pungent criticisms.—pungently adverb—pungency noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINpungent
Origin:
1500-1600 Latin present participle of pungere ‘to prick, sting’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Pungent diesel fumes poured from the back of the truck.
- Borsky made several pungent comments about the government.
- Garlic has a pungent aroma.
- the pungent smell of onions
- A pungent metallic smoke filled the air.
- And I smelled the pungent stickiness of the glue when I pasted the labels on the matchboxes, table, and chairs.
- Oregano is a pungent herb, overpowering if used alone.
- Saturated hydrocarbons can burn to aldehydes, alcohols to organic acids, and aromatics to unsaturated compounds which are pungent and irritating.
- The pungent oil smoke wafts across the grandstand.
- The onion smell still lingered, sharp and pungent.
- The rider delivered some loud, bitter and pungent comments, and people shook their heads at the girl.
- The squid is tender and dressed in a pungent fishy sauce with a hint of nuttiness.
Longman Language Activatorhaving a strong smell
· There's a strong smell of gas in here.· Her perfume is so strong - it makes me gag.· Goat's cheese has a strong smell.strong-smelling · Pete had covered himself in strong-smelling aftershave.
having a very strong, sharp, and often unpleasant smell: · Garlic has a pungent aroma.· Pungent diesel fumes poured from the back of the truck.
very strong, and sometimes unpleasant: · Ammonia has a very powerful, distinctive smell.· The powerful smell of cabbage, sardines, and body odor filled the train.
heady smell/scent/perfume a smell etc that is very strong and sweet, like a powerful smell of flowers: · A heady scent of jasmine hung in the summer air.· Diane loved the blossoms and the heady aroma of the wild rose bush.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the pungent odour of garlicCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES obnoxious odours from a factory
1having a strong taste or smellpungent smell/aroma/odour etc the pungent odour of garlic obnoxious odours from a factory formal (=strong and unpleasant)· A pungent smell of garlic filled the air.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Woodsmoke and the pungent aroma of apples and Michaelmas daisies spiced the dusk.· Singed needles only add to the celebration because they crackle like sparklers and give off the pungent aroma of the evergreen woods.· The dry bracken crackled beneath his feet and gave off a pungent aroma.
· They couldn't detect the smell of cocaine through the more pungent odour of coffee.· The room smelt stale and musty with the pungent odour of the fat tallow candles placed on the desk.
· It was a creepy spot with a strong pungent smell of garlic and there was always a feeling of tension and foreboding.· Candles flickered, incense burned in an unsuccessful attempt to cover the pungent smell of marijuana.· My favourite was the lightly spiced Cape Malay Rooibos Chai which had a pungent smell and dark colour.· A fox earth can be located from a considerable distance downwind by the pungent smell given off.· A pungent smell of garlic filled the air.· Both were smoking and the pungent smell of Gauloise tobacco so early in the morning made me feel sick.· The pungent smell gives the impression of a powerful cleaning agent.· From where he stood the pungent smell of frying onion was easily detectable.
the pungent odour of garlic2 formal pungent speech or writing is clever and direct, and usually criticizes someone or something strongly: He expressed some fairly pungent criticisms.—pungently adverb—pungency noun [uncountable]