0 the quality of tasting or smelling dry, sour, and slightly bitter:
1 a quality that causes skin or other tissue to become tight:
He finds the astringency of an aftershave lotion is refreshing.
The astringency of the mouthwash is helpful for a sore mouth or laryngitis.
2 a clever, original quality that expresses criticism that may be unkind:
Her writing lost its astringency and she began to be dismissed as a lightweight.
The film version maintains the satiric astringency of the novel.
