Pungent describes a sharp, strong smell or taste that affects your senses powerfully. When you slice into a raw onion and your eyes start watering, that's the pungent smell of the onion's oils. When you taste a spicy mustard or wasabi and feel it tingle in your nose, that's pungency at work.

The word comes from a Latin term meaning “to prick or sting,” which perfectly captures how pungent things seem to poke at your senses. A pungent smell isn't necessarily bad: the pungent aroma of frying garlic makes many people hungry, while the pungent smell of ammonia makes them want to leave the room immediately. Blue cheeses have a pungent flavor that some people love and others can't stand.

Pungent describes intensity and sharpness rather than pleasantness. Perfume might smell sweet or floral, but you wouldn't call it pungent. Vinegar, however, is definitely pungent. So is the smell of wood smoke, fresh horseradish, or a locker room after soccer practice. When something is pungent, your nose knows it immediately, and there's no ignoring it.