The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Pungent \Pun"gent\, a. [L. pungens, -entis, p. pr. of pungere,
punctum, to prick. Cf. Compunction, Expunge, Poignant,
Point, n., Puncheon, Punctilio, Punt, v. t.]
1. Causing a sharp sensation, as of the taste, smell, or
feelings; pricking; biting; acrid; as, a pungent spice.
[1913 Webster]
Pungent radish biting infant's tongue. --Shenstone.
[1913 Webster]
The pungent grains of titillating dust. --Pope.
[1913 Webster]
2. Sharply painful; penetrating; poignant; severe; caustic;
stinging.
[1913 Webster]
With pungent pains on every side. --Swift.
[1913 Webster]
His pungent pen played its part in rousing the
nation. --J. R. Green.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Bot.) Prickly-pointed; hard and sharp.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: Acrid; piercing; sharp; penetrating; acute; keen;
acrimonious; biting; stinging.
[1913 Webster]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
153 Moby Thesaurus words for "pungent":
Attic, acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acescent, acid, acrid,
acrimonious, acute, afflictive, agonizing, amaroidal, aphoristic,
aromatic, asperous, astringent, atrocious, axiomatic, barbed,
biting, bitter, bitter as gall, brilliant, caustic, clever, coarse,
consuming, crab, crabbed, cramping, crisp, cruel, cutting,
deafening, distressing, droll, dry, epigrammatic, escharotic,
exciting, excruciating, facetious, flavorful, formulaic,
formulistic, funny, gnawing, gnomic, grave, green, griping, hard,
harrowing, harsh, hot, humorous, humorsome, hurtful, hurting,
incisive, intense, irritating, jesting, jocose, jocular, joking,
joky, joshing, keen, keen-witted, lively, loud, mordant,
nimble-witted, nose-piercing, nose-tickling, oppressive, painful,
paroxysmal, penetrating, peppery, peppy, pickled, piercing,
piquant, pithy, platitudinous, poignant, pointed, proverbial,
provocative, quick-witted, racking, racy, rapier-like, reeking,
rich, rough, salt, salty, sapid, sarcastic, scathing,
scintillating, seasoned, sec, sententious, severe, sharp, shooting,
smart, snappy, sour, sour as vinegar, soured, sourish, sparkling,
spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spicy, spirited, sprightly,
stabbing, stern, stimulating, stinging, strong, strong-scented,
strong-smelling, succinct, suffocating, tangy, tart, tartish,
tasty, terse, thundering, tormenting, torturous, trenchant,
uninteresting, unripe, unsweet, unsweetened, upsetting, vinegarish,
vinegary, vitriolic, vivacious, whimsical, witty, zesty