as in sharpened
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something
even the most trenchant sword could not sever the bonds of loyalty between them
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Recent Examples of trenchant
The more trenchant critique, surely, is that the entwining of art and life has become a tiresome conceit, predicated on the bland notion that all great fiction must have an autobiographical component and a therapeutic aim.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
It is accompanied by a quietly trenchant voice over, mostly written by scribes Rafael Cobos and Fran Araújo, explaining intricacies of characters and historical through-lines.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Janion’s analyses are trenchant but also hopeful.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Amid the churn in Europe and globally, with trenchant nationalism on the rise, and a war raging in Ukraine just 1,200 miles from the palace, many might say that having a hereditary royal as their head of state offers some reassuring continuity, acting as a counterweight to political upheaval.
—Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trenchant
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025
It is accompanied by a quietly trenchant voice over, mostly written by scribes Rafael Cobos and Fran Araújo, explaining intricacies of characters and historical through-lines.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Janion’s analyses are trenchant but also hopeful.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Amid the churn in Europe and globally, with trenchant nationalism on the rise, and a war raging in Ukraine just 1,200 miles from the palace, many might say that having a hereditary royal as their head of state offers some reassuring continuity, acting as a counterweight to political upheaval.
—Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trenchant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trenchant
sharp
Adjective
-
Nikola Katic, a mountain of a defender, all elbows and sharp edges, was terrific before suffering a season-ending injury during Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup qualification win over Italy.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Three candidates are vying to lead Chula Vista, San Diego County’s second-largest city, in the June primary, with the winner set to serve a four-year term atop a City Council that has been marked in recent years by sharp partisan division.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trenchant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trenchant. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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