🥶 Cold and brisk 🧀 Sharp-tasting

nippy

7.2

A food or drink with a sharp taste that slightly stings the mouth

adjective
/ˈnɪpi/

: picante

The dish was enhanced by a nippy sauce that added a tangy kick.

Examples

The lemonade had a nippy flavor that made it refreshing on a hot day.
She enjoyed the nippy bite of the homemade salsa with her tortilla chips.
- Mmm, bit nippy.

Drift (2013)

Synonyms

bitter

vsnippy

81 1.0

Having a sharp, unpleasant taste that is not sweet

is tangy or pungent rather than strongly acrid or unpleasant

sharpish

vsnippy

6.0

A little strong in taste or smell, like lemon

is used only for food or drink with a sharp biting taste

sharp-tasting

vsnippy

3.9

A strong, slightly sour taste like in aged cheese or salad dressing

covers tangy or pungent taste generally rather than focusing on sour acidity

bitterish

vsnippy

5.1

Being slightly sharp and unpleasant in taste or feeling

focuses on a less pleasant sharp flavor degree while key highlights tangy or pungent quality

Antonyms

mild

107 1.0

Something like pain and criticism that is not very strong or serious

bland

23 2.0

Food that has a very weak taste and little or no strong flavor

How Tangy

pungent

18 4.8

zesty

4 4.2

tangy

15 3.6

nippy

7.2

mild

107 1.0

bland

23 2.0

Surface Forms

nippy positive

Etymology

Nippy comes from the small verb nip, which means 'to pinch' or 'to bite'. So a nippy cheese or sauce is one that 'bites' your tongue with a sharp, tangy taste.