astringency

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A dry, puckering feeling in the mouth, such as you get from strong tea, red wine or unripe fruit.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable: the wine has some astringency.

   Patterns

   • the astringency of something
   • a hint of astringency

   The astringency of the unripe persimmon made my mouth feel dry.

   Good black tea balances bitterness with a little astringency.

   Tannins give young red wine its astringency.

2. 2noununcountablemedical

   The power of a substance to make skin or other body tissue tighten and shrink.

   Grammar: A medical or cosmetic sense: a toner valued for its astringency.

   Patterns

   • the astringency of a lotion
   • astringency on the skin

   Witch hazel is used on oily skin because of its astringency.

   The astringency of the lotion helped close the pores.

   Some mouthwashes owe their astringency to alum.

3. 3noununcountablefigurativeformal

   A harsh, severe or sharply critical quality in a person's manner, speech or writing.

   Grammar: Figurative: a critic known for her astringency.

   Patterns

   • the astringency of someone's wit
   • with astringency

   The critic reviewed the play with biting astringency.

   Her astringency made her speeches memorable but not always popular.

   He recalled the astringency of his old teacher's comments.

Common combinations

mild astringency

The tea has a mild astringency that many people like.

pleasant astringency

A pleasant astringency balances the sweetness of the cider.

tannic astringency

The tannic astringency faded after the wine was aired.

astringency of the wit

The astringency of his wit made the audience wince and laugh.

skin astringency

The skin astringency of the toner may feel too strong for dry skin.

Synonyms and how they differ

bitterness

Bitterness is one of the basic tastes, while astringency is a dry tightening feeling that is not a taste in the same sense.

tartness

Tartness is a sharp, sour taste, whereas astringency is the drying feeling left on the tongue.

acerbity

Acerbity suggests harshness of speech or temper and is mostly figurative, so it covers only the third sense.

severity

Severity is a general word for strictness or harshness and lacks the sharp, dry flavor of astringency.

Opposites

Word family

astringent adjective

causing a puckering feeling or tightening tissue; also harsh in tone

astringent noun

a lotion or substance that tightens skin

astringently adverb

in a sharp or severe way

Commonly confused: astringency or acidity? astringency or austerity?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “astringency”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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