poignant
Americanadjective
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sharply distressing or painful to the feelings
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to the point; cutting or piercing
poignant wit
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keen or pertinent in mental appeal
a poignant subject
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pungent in smell
Other Word Forms
- poignancy noun
- poignantly adverb
- unpoignant adjective
- unpoignantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of poignant
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English poynaunt, from Middle French poignant, literally, “stinging,” present participle of poindre “to appear, emerge,” earlier “to prick, sting,” from Latin pungere; pungent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Konishi’s poignant debut—translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai—combines golden-age charm with the harsh reality of having a loved one with dementia.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
As metafiction goes, it could hardly be more poignant, though poignancy is not the author’s style.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
For three decades, Banksy has challenged authority, mocked consumer culture and transformed public spaces into poignant canvases - while keeping his true identity hidden from the world.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
With each manicured frame and deceptively poignant observation on the impossibility of living normally in modern life, Kramer concocts an original, wonderfully empathetic study of the desire to play spectator to a world on fire.
From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026
The wood was old and the paint was cracking, giving the Nativity scene a poignant look of absolute poverty.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
