poignancy

[poin-yuhn-see, poin-uhn-]

noun

plural

poignancies 

1. the state or condition of being poignant.

2. a poignant moment, event, situation, or the like.

Word History and Origins

Origin of poignancy¹

First recorded in 1680–90; poign(ant) + -ancy

Example Sentences

“To Absent Friends” draws its title from a favorite Welty toast, a gesture that surely acquired special poignancy after Lyell died of congestive heart failure.

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Then, after a short silence, the music resumed, but now with the addition of Mr. Muhly on prepared piano, lending ineffable poignancy to strains of unsentimental emotionalism.

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The poignancy of this cruel spiritual appropriation is pictured by Jon Henry in 14 photographs of Black mothers cradling sons, their pietà poses sprawled at actual locations of police killings of Black men.

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Even so, I could not gain any purchase on this novel, which has unearned confidence in the poignancy of what seems like a very tedious relationship.

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That said, the moment when Didi and Gogo throw themselves into a frantic hug—as if only by touching one another can they be sure they still exist—has breathtaking poignancy.

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Related Words

• pathos 
• sadness