Etymology
Origin of poignancy
First recorded in 1680–90; poign(ant) + -ancy
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.
Many of the differences in the characters’ destinies have been due to circumstances beyond their control, and perhaps their choices have been likewise inevitable, though the payoff is a poignancy that enriches the comedy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
From there, Gunn’s curated playlist, featuring bands like Hardcore Superstar, Cruel Intentions and Ida Maria, musically narrates each installment’s operatic heroics and slapstick violence, or adds poignancy to Chris’ bouts of crushingly low self-esteem.
From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025
Not the stuff of ordinary musicals, but Lindsay-Abaire, who wrote the book and lyrics, and Jeanine Tesori, who wrote the score, nailed the eccentric humor along with the lyrical poignancy.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025
Viewed in 2025, the try has a touch of poignancy.
From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025
With poignancy, Sissy realized that he was growing up.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
