| 单词 | trenchant |
| 释义 | trenchant (once / 5400 pages) adj If you're trenchant, it means you think or say smart, sharply worded things that cut right to the heart of the matter. A trenchant observation is one that makes people scratch their chins thoughtfully, or wince with embarrassment for whomever you're talking about, or both. The word trenchant originates from tranchant, which in French means "sharp" or "cutting," and it's related to the word trench, which originally meant a line carved in wood and later came to mean a ditch carved into the earth. The word is often used to describe political commentary or cultural criticism. One person known for her trenchant wit was the author and critic Mary McCarthy, who once said of the writer Lillian Hellman, "Every word she writes is a lie, including the 'and' and the 'the'." WORD FAMILYtrenchant: trenchancy, trenchantly USAGE EXAMPLESDespite the bleak situation, there is no trenchant wisdom to be unearthed here. Los Angeles Times(Dec 15, 2016) He rarely gives interviews, or speaks publicly, but when he does defend himself or his company he can be trenchant. The New Yorker(Nov 06, 2016) The resulting music, as effervescent as it was, raised potent issues about cultural appropriation that remain as trenchant today as they were then. Washington Post(Oct 27, 2016) 1adj having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect trenchant criticism Syn searching intelligent having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree 2adj characterized by or full of force and vigor a trenchant argument Syn hard-hitting effective, effectual, efficacious producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect 3adj clearly or sharply defined to the mind trenchant distinctions between right and wrong Syn clear-cut, distinct clear readily apparent to the mind |
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