Meaning & use
piquancy
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Meanings
noununcountable
A pleasantly sharp or spicy flavor that wakes up the taste buds.
Grammar: Uncountable: the piquancy of the sauce.
Patterns
- the piquancy of something
- add piquancy to something
A squeeze of lime adds piquancy to the soup.
The piquancy of the pickles balanced the rich meat.
Chili gave the dish a gentle piquancy.
noununcountablefigurative
An interesting, slightly daring quality that makes something lively or intriguing.
Grammar: Figurative: the piquancy of gossip.
Patterns
- add piquancy to something
- with some piquancy
The rivalry added piquancy to the final match.
Her witty remark gave the speech some piquancy.
The story's piquancy lies in its unexpected ending.
Common combinations
- add piquancy
- A pinch of pepper adds piquancy.
- a touch of piquancy
- The sauce has a touch of piquancy.
- gentle piquancy
- The cheese has a gentle piquancy.
- lend piquancy
- The scandal lent piquancy to the party.
- the piquancy of
- The piquancy of the mustard was welcome.
Synonyms and how they differ
- zest
- Zest suggests liveliness and energy, while piquancy is about a sharp, appealing tang.
- tang
- Tang is the sharp taste itself, whereas piquancy suggests that sharpness is also pleasing.
- spice
- Spice is an ingredient or a general excitement, and is less formal than piquancy.
- bite
- Bite suggests a sharp edge in taste or wit, with less elegance than piquancy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: piquancy or pique?
piquancy vs pique
Pique means a fit of annoyance, or to arouse curiosity. It is related but does not describe flavor.
Practice
A little lemon juice added ___ to the creamy sauce.
Choose one answer.
Piquancy means a pleasantly sharp quality, which lemon provides. Blandness and heaviness are the opposite, and sweetness is a different taste.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “piquancy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.