How to Use piquant in a Sentence

piquant

adjective
  • He served the fish with a piquant sauce.
  • In the heat gun, spicy mescal and a piquant salt rim are soothed by aloe.
    — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Jan. 2018
  • The air was piquant and subtly sweet, like orange peel and cloves.
    — New York Times, 2 Dec. 2020
  • With each bite, the flavors ping-pong between spicy, sweet and piquant.
    — Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
  • This time, the jalapeños are pickled, and their piquant jab rounds out the sweet juiciness of the fruit.
    — Associate Restaurant Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Jan. 2023
  • This time, the jalapeños are pickled, and their piquant jab rounds out the sweet juiciness of the fruit.
    — Associate Restaurant Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Jan. 2023
  • The junipers' oily aroma overwhelmed even our own piquant reek.
    — John Phillips, Car and Driver, 24 Mar. 2020
  • Ford’s new fragrance leads with piquant notes, built on briny notes culled from the ocean and then mixed with spicy pepper.
    — Max Berlinger, GQ, 31 Oct. 2017
  • Globs of tartar sauce that taste like the stuff of your youth — creamy, classic and piquant — ooze out of every crevice.
    — Jenn Harris Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2021
  • But the show, at its core, is a mystery—a piquant riddle for Mark and the viewers to solve.
    — The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2022
  • In fewer than 48 hours, the cloudy beverage tastes piquant and bright and is ready to drink.
    — Kiki Flynn, Bon Appetit, 19 Apr. 2017
  • Its piquant jolt balances out the massive dose of savory from those thick slabs of pastrami.
    — Andy Staples, SI.com, 10 July 2017
  • The sauce is a piquant blend of tomato and vinegar that complements the pork shoulder.
    — Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
  • The shrimp had a nice snap to it and served as an excellent vessel for the piquant, faintly sweet cocktail sauce.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 19 Jan. 2024
  • May rose and piquant jasmine grown in the southern French commune of Grasse.
    — New York Times, 17 Feb. 2022
  • The piquant apples and chile bits can be eaten alongside the meat while the brine gets drizzled on top for an even sharper jolt.
    — Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2022
  • When prepared with skill, shrimp can be tender and sweet, perfect for dipping in tangy, piquant cocktail sauce.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 22 June 2026
  • Big pieces of rich, porky pork in the chile rojo combine their juices with a piquant red sauce, pinto beans and pico de gallo.
    — Michael Russell, oregonlive, 19 Jan. 2022
  • There’s no marinating, and the piquant sauce with comes together while the chicken is on the grill.
    — Bonnie S. Benwick, The Denver Post, 24 June 2019
  • There’s no marinating, and the piquant sauce with comes together while the chicken is on the grill.
    — Bonnie S. Benwick, Washington Post, 19 June 2019
  • Like the pure bliss of buttery ahi tuna sharing the plate with piquant Fresno peppers.
    — Leslie Kelly, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2021
  • Advertisement Add some spice to that sweating glass of ice tea and drink deeply of these piquant novels.
    — Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
  • It was combined with beans and sausage in a piquant tomato sauce — a hearty complement to the pasta’s pleasant bite.
    — Jennifer Graue, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2017
  • The corn was sweet and cooked perfectly, providing a nice counterpoint to the piquant spice.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2019
  • For example, the Goan Masala needs only coconut milk and broth to form a soup both piquant and creamy.
    — Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 27 Feb. 2021
  • The absinthe is here to add a piquant licorice zing to contrast with such lumbering low tones, and pretty much any absinthe will achieve this.
    — Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 8 July 2023
  • With those and the three types of fennel in the mix — bulb, fronds and seeds — the bake ends up with a satisfyingly deep, piquant flavor.
    — Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2022
  • Holly was written as a slim girl, just shy of 19, piquant, breezy, and mercenary in her pursuit of a good time.
    — Callahan Tormey, Town & Country, 28 Dec. 2020
  • These pieces are flavor bombs, imparting salty, piquant, umami goodness into your soup.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The crustaceans produce a piquant aroma while the red vegetable adds a layer of acidity and hint of sourness to the soup.
    — Christina Liao, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'piquant.' 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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