poignant
Americanadjective
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sharply distressing or painful to the feelings
-
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.
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
His comeback in November felt particularly poignant as he faced his former club Liverpool at Anfield.
From BBC
Biloa notes that Benin's president, a former business tycoon, is keenly aware that his country's former role as a key departure point for slaves makes it a poignant destination for black Americans.
From BBC
She and her family are still undecided on whether they will return to the area, making her memories of the park particularly poignant.
From Los Angeles Times
The use of stage direction as couples therapy is one of the more poignant sequences in a film that tends to dance along the line separating the farcical from the bittersweet.
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.
