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poignant Definition

poign·ant (po̵inyənt; Brit, also po̵inənt)

adjective

    1. sharp or pungent to the smell or, formerly, the taste
    2. keenly affecting the other senses poignant beauty
    1. sharply painful to the feelings; piercing
    2. evoking pity, compassion, etc.; emotionally touching or moving
  1. sharp, biting, penetrating, pointed, etc. poignant wit

Etymology: ME poynant < MFr poignant, prp. of poindre < L pungere, to prick: see point

poignant Related Forms

poign·ancy noun poign·antly adverb

poignant Synonyms

poignant

modif.

  1. Sharp

    piquant, bitter, acute; see sarcastic.

  2. Touching

    moving, touching, emotional, piercing; see moving 2, pitiful 1, sad 2. See syn. study at moving.

poignant Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: The north and east owned a terrific influence, making all pain more poignant, all sorrow sadder.
  • find: Up to page 118 ( the death of her son ) I found the story poignant and amusing.

Modifies a noun

  • reminder: A more poignant reminder of Britain's past is the profusion of latin sparrows.
  • memoir: More than 50 years later she went there to see his grave and wrote a poignant memoir of their lost life together.
  • portrayal: I found the novel a poignant portrayal of the effects of a war that touched every aspect of society.
  • lyric: An all time classic with poignant lyrics powerfully sung by Marlena.
  • moment: Beyond the drama of sheer numbers, there were also some poignant moments.
  • ballad: The next song, a poignant ballad had Chip Taylor beckoning a young lady from the audience called Florence.

Modifying Another Word

  • unbearably: Their second song, ' Out in the Woods, ' is unbearably poignant with aching cello and strange, pained Eastern European strings.
  • especially: A row of three simple crosses to the north of the kirk are especially poignant.
  • particularly: There is a particularly poignant moment in ' The Wind in the Willows ' .
  • surprisingly: Yet it is not emotionally barren, as this might suggest, but surprisingly poignant.
  • deeply: Again, the subtext of betrayal gives a deeply poignant edge to this teaching.
  • rather: Click to see some rather poignant pictures of the wreckage surrounding the place.

Infinitive complement

see: Even so, it's poignant to see so down-to-earth a domestic tragedy acted out against so historical a backdrop.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Working on the film has made the whole thing seem more poignant.
  • become: Old Man Adam's wise words have become very poignant indeed.
  • make: The story is made poignant by the fact that the plane was stripped for souvenirs despite the tragedy.
  • find: I'd like to remind you of a poster produced by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, which I found particularly poignant.

Preposition: by

fact: The story is made poignant by the fact that the plane was stripped for souvenirs despite the tragedy.

Browse dictionary entries near poignant

  1. poignancy
  2. -poietic
  3. poi
  4. POH
  5. pogy
  6. pogrom
  7. pogonip
  8. pogonia
  9. pogo stick
  10. POF
  1. poikilothermal
  2. poilu
  3. Poincaré
  4. Poincare ,
  5. poinciana
  6. Poindexter,John Marlan
  7. poinsettia
  8. point
  9. point-and-figure chart
  10. point-blank