How to Use astringent in a Sentence

astringent

1 of 2 adjective
  • Some are gentle and emollient, while others can be harsh and astringent.
    — Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 June 2022
  • Fruits are eaten fresh; their flavor is sweet and slightly astringent.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2022
  • Sheep-milk ice cream is set in a pool of yellow custard and a pleasantly astringent goat-milk caramel.
    — Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, 12 Apr. 2018
  • Toners of the past were known for their astringent properties, which often dried skin out.
    — Audrey Noble, Allure, 20 Dec. 2020
  • There is a better case for a less astringent form of intervention.
    — The Economist, 7 Oct. 2017
  • The wine was harsh, sweet but astringent, and the taste seemed to register in the esophagus as much as in the mouth.
    — Steven Strogatz, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2013
  • Tab was sweetened with saccharin, which gave the drink an astringent, metallic taste.
    — Jennifer Maloney, WSJ, 16 Oct. 2020
  • But in this book more than ever, Cusk is astringent, unsugared.
    — Hillary Kelly, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2021
  • The fresh leaves are peppery and assertive—sometimes even bitter or astringent.
    — Bon Appétit, 9 July 2019
  • What was hard and astringent turns lush, spoonable, and gumdrop-like—ready for desserts, jams, stews, or to be savored on its own.
    — Benjamin Kemper, Saveur, 26 Nov. 2025
  • The choice is yours, but many gardeners prefer the non-astringent types that can be consumed like an apple.
    — Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 4 Sep. 2021
  • Refill oak imparts less of the tannins that, in the long run, can make a spirit taste overly spicy and astringent.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 1 May 2023
  • The dish is both sweet and astringent, and the judges think the dish needed a sauce to bring everything together.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 May 2026
  • The Howes variety is tart, sour, and slightly astringent and has a firm texture.
    — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2025
  • Belif's calming toner feels anything but astringent on the skin.
    — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 10 May 2018
  • Outside the restaurant, electric lights strung from house to house bathed Akre’s main avenue in astringent pinks.
    — New York Times, 20 Apr. 2022
  • The yogurt frosting turns to slime in your fingers and the pumpkin spice has an astringent aftertaste.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 27 Sep. 2022
  • Dutched cocoa has a more mellow flavor, while natural cocoa will be a bit more astringent.
    — Sara Chodosh, Popular Science, 23 Dec. 2020
  • The consolation, though, is that all of these books are excellent, as bracing and astringent as a slap.
    — New York Times, 17 May 2018
  • Don’t test the science — an unripe persimmon is full of astringent tannin that can leave your mouth puckered for hours.
    — Dawn Mitchell, Indianapolis Star, 20 Oct. 2017
  • Scotch bonnet pepper and allspice give the chicken an astringent bite, while a soft blanket of thick crema helps to calm the palate.
    — Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 May 2021
  • Those budding branches are intense on their own, musky and herbaceous with an astringent smack befitting the name.
    — Craig Laban, Philly.com, 11 May 2018
  • Famed for its orchid-like fragrance, the tea grown on the north side of the mountain is sweet and pure, while that from the south is more pungent and astringent.
    — Tom Parker Bowles, Robb Report, 14 June 2021
  • All utilize dance rhythms or folk melodies, and employ a mostly tonal but astringent musical language.
    — Barbara Jepson, WSJ, 11 Oct. 2017
  • Its drying, astringent nature can strip away finishes, leaving wood dull, dry, and more prone to scratches.
    — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 23 June 2026
  • The instructions say to boil water, which will give you a pretty astringent, strong cuppa (thanks Max).
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 23 Jan. 2024
  • Nettle and dandelion are astringent, cleansing herbs perfect for this moment—boil them in water to make a tea.
    — Radhi Devlukia-Shetty, Bon Appétit, 23 Mar. 2021
  • Let a whiskey age for too long though, and bitter and astringent oak tannins will overpower more delicate flavors.
    — Adrienne Donica, Popular Mechanics, 26 Feb. 2021
  • Bad tahini, on the other hand, can be bitter and astringent, bordering on acidic, and can be dry with an almost chalky mouthfeel.
    — Alex Delany, Bon Appetit, 19 Feb. 2018
  • Sweet and white wines tend to have more sulfites than red, but red wines contain more tannins, which are bitter or astringent compounds found in the skin and seeds of grapes.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 30 Dec. 2022

astringent

2 of 2 noun
  • The bamboo extract works as an astringent and can be helpful if your skin is dull.
    — Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 May 2022
  • Steer clear of strong fragrances, scrubs, toners, and astringents.
    — Cindy Kuzma, Health, 16 Mar. 2024
  • This is still a light beer, but the hops are able to linger on your tongue without any building astringent bitterness.
    — Matt Allyn, Popular Mechanics, 23 July 2020
  • By Rosie Jane's relies on witch hazel water, which acts as an astringent to dry out sweat.
    — Devon Abelman, Allure, 27 Sep. 2022
  • Mixing the astringent leaves into a milkshake seemed to be the most palatable option.
    — Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 3 Aug. 2021
  • But this is derived from nettle, which is a plant used with astringent and oil-purifying powers.
    — Chris Hachey, BGR, 29 Apr. 2022
  • If your skin still feels oily, instead of washing again (which can make your skin produce even more oil), try an astringent after cleansing.
    — Kristin Koch, Seventeen, 1 Aug. 2020
  • Streets suggests this is because some formulas can contain harsh astringents.
    — Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Witch Hazel Witch hazel is a natural astringent that can reduce itching and swelling.
    — Debbie Wolfe, Popular Science, 27 May 2024
  • Tannins—compounds in wine derived from grape skins and seeds and oak barrels—have an astringent or drying quality in the mouth.
    — Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Baby powder is mostly talc, a mineral that is used to keep skin dry and as an astringent to prevent diaper rash.
    — Jef Feeley, latimes.com, 12 July 2019
  • Post Shave Balm is witch hazel, a gentle natural astringent that helps to close pores and prevent razor bumps.
    — Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Witch hazel is a natural plant extract that serves as a mild astringent, closing your pores to the grime that naturally builds up on your skin over the course of a day.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 May 2022
  • Or instead of an astringent, try using a toner made with gentler ingredients like camphor, green tea, or aloe vera.
    — Angela Palmer, Verywell Health, 21 Jan. 2023
  • Vinegar can act as an astringent to help relieve pain and itching from the rash, as can aluminum acetate, per the FDA.
    — Maggie O'Neill, Health.com, 14 May 2021
  • An astringent is a toner formula that's made with ingredients like alcohol that help remove excess oil from the skin.
    — April Franzino, Good Housekeeping, 13 Nov. 2022
  • The alcohol-free formula also utilizes witch hazel as an astringent to help minimize the appearance of pores.
    — Cristina Montemayor, Men's Health, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Staying Cool in the Midwest Readers, witch hazel is an astringent derived from a flowering plant.
    — Heloise, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2019
  • This year's new product will be hydrosol toner, a natural lavender astringent made from the water left from the lavender distillation process.
    — Mary Ellen Fillo, courant.com, 17 May 2017
  • Witch hazel is a natural astringent, so it is often used to remove excess sebum and temporarily decrease the appearance of pores.
    — Taylore Glynn, Allure, 20 Dec. 2022
  • According to cosmetic chemist Ginger King, alum helps clarify water and acts as an astringent in cosmetics.
    — Devon Abelman, Allure, 5 Feb. 2022
  • Combined with tannin, a natural astringent, the treatment also helps smooth skin after clearing it of all those nasties to give it that poreless, glass-like look everyone is after lately.
    — Devon Abelman, Allure, 9 Apr. 2018
  • Sourced from Australia and made with 100% natural ingredients, this elixir is unlike most toners, which can be drying, astringent and harsh.
    — Joseph Deacetis, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2021
  • While the norm is that a toner should be an astringent that removes grime and dirt while balancing the pH, Korean toners work to give the skin instant hydration as the first step after cleansing with a face wash.
    — Rosa Jisoo Pyo, Vogue, 8 May 2026
  • The whitening pen contains light-reflecting pigments and is infused with containing lavender oil as a stress reliever, strawberry extract to whiten, and honeysuckle leaf extract which acts as an astringent.
    — Tiffany Dodson, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Peppermint Used for centuries as a natural astringent to combat bad breath, soothe indigestion and overcome fatigue, oil from the peppermint plant can also reduce nausea and cramping.
    — Newsweek Special Edition, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2018
  • Savvy consumers will notice potassium aluminum sulfate listed in the ingredients of this deodorant, which is a mineral salt with astringent and antimicrobial properties.
    — Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 19 Apr. 2022
  • That’s not the case with this alcohol-free hydrating toner by Thayers, which instead uses witch hazel (a natural astringent) to regulate oil levels, as well as rosewater and aloe vera to restore hydration.
    — Deanna Pai, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Andres’ astringent textures and polytonal harmonies also suggested Stravinsky.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2022
  • When Lucas screened an early cut of Star Wars for a group of filmmakers, Spielberg was supportive, but Brian De Palma gave astringent and ultimately priceless counsel.
    — Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astringent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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