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Friday October 30, 2009

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trenchant [trenchant]

adjective

1. Characterized by or full of force and vigor; as, "a trenchant argument."
2. Caustic or biting; severe; direct; gutting; as, "trenchant wit".
3. Clearly defined; distinct; clear-cut.

• Thanks to Rock's running monologue, combining scathing humor with trenchant observations, the film manages to be side-splitting even while making its most poignant points. "Good Hair," directed by longtime Rock collaborator Jeff Stilson, is such a rollicking, thoroughly entertaining ride that it's easy to take for granted just how easy Rock makes it look.
  Ann Hornaday, "Chris Rock Shows Off a Fascinating 'Hair' Piece; A Hilarious Look at Black 'Dos & Don'ts", The Washington Post, Oct 9, 2009
• If you expect a more trenchant portrait or a fully developed drama, well, bub, as Eppie would say, you've got a geranium in your cranium.
  Charles Isherwood, "Dear Ann Landers: What's a Girl to Do Now?", New York Times, Oct 15, 2009
• Again Floss Dickerson dropped her trenchant personality into the breach. "Aw, come off!" she ejaculated. "Let somebody roast the men once, will you? I'm the little Jane that knows, believe me. All this talk about the girls going to hell makes me sick.
  Zane Grey (1872 - 1939) An American author. The Day of the Beast (1922)

Origin of the Word

Trenchant, approximately 1330, derives from Middle French trenchant "cutting, sharp," present participle of trenchier "to cut."