-chənt adjective
Etymology: Middle English trenchaunt, from Middle French trenchant, present participle of trenchier to trench
1.
a. archaic : having a cutting edge : keen , sharp
a second less and the trenchant blade had shorn through his heart — Bram Stoker
b. : adapted for cutting : sectorial
a trenchant tooth
2. : vigorously effective : keenly articulate : brisk
a most trenchant defender of civil rights — Zechariah Chafee
discussed with a fearless and trenchant pen the religious issues of the day — H.K.Rowe
specifically : caustic
disillusioned satirist, trenchant , arrogant, and absolute master of a mordant pen — J.L.Lowes
3.
a. : sharply perceptive : cogent , penetrating
a trenchant , plotless, constantly unfolding view of … conditions brought by the war to our cities — Leslie Rees
the author's trenchant imagination — New Yorker
b. : well-defined : clear-cut , distinct
the trenchant divisions between right and wrong, honest and dishonest — Edith Wharton
Synonyms: see incisive