Dictionary Definition
poignant adj
1 arousing affect; "the homecoming of the
released hostages was an affecting scene"; "poignant grief cannot
endure forever"; "his gratitude was simple and touching" [syn:
affecting, touching]
2 keenly distressing to the mind or feelings;
"poignant anxiety"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From poignant, present participle of poindre from pungo.Adjective
- obsolete of a weapon etc sharp-pointed; keen
- incisive; penetrating
- His comments were poignant and witty.
- neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant
- A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
- Evoking strong mental
sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving
- Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
- figurative of a taste or smell piquant, pungent
- piercing
- dated mostly British inducing sharp physical pain
Synonyms
Related terms
Translations
sharp-pointed; keen
- Japanese: 鋭い
incisive; penetrating
- Finnish: kärkevä
- Japanese: 鋭い, 痛烈な, 辛辣な
neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant
- Japanese: 鋭い
evoking strong mental sensation
- Finnish: (evoking sharp mental pain) kipeä, arka; (emotionally moving) liikuttava
- Japanese: 痛烈な
piercing
- Japanese: 鋭い
inducing sharp physical pain
- Japanese: 鋭い
References
- OED 2nd edition 1989
- Webster Third New International 1986
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
absorbing, acerbic, acid, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, acute, affecting, afflictive, agitating, agonizing, asperous, astringent, atrocious, barbed, biting, bitter, bleak, blue, caustic, cheerless, comfortless, corrosive, cramping, cruel, cutting, deep, deep-felt, deepgoing, deplorable, depressing, depressive, disastrous, discomforting, dismal, dismaying, distressful, distressing, disturbing, dolorific, dolorogenic, dolorous, double-edged,
dramatic, dreary, driving, earnest, edged, effective, emotional, escharotic, excruciating, exquisite, extreme, fierce, forceful, forcible, gnawing, grave, grievous, griping, gutsy, hard, harrowing, harsh, heartfelt, homefelt, hurtful, hurting, imperative, impressive, incisive, indelible, intense, irritating, joyless, keen, lamentable, lively, melancholy, miserable, mordacious, mordant, mournful, moving, nervous, nose-tickling, painful, paroxysmal, pathetic, penetrating, peppery, peppy, perturbing, pervading, piercing, piquant, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, pointed, powerful, profound, punchy, pungent, racking, racy, regrettable, rigorous, rough, rueful, sad, saddening, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing, sensational, severe, sharp, shooting, sincere, sinewed, sinewy, slashing, snappy, sore, sorrowful, sour, sparkling, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spicy, spirited, stabbing, stinging, stirring, strident, striking, stringent, strong, tart, telling, tormenting, torturous, touching, tragic, trenchant, uncomfortable, upsetting, vehement, vigorous, violent, virulent, vital, vitriolic, vivacious, vivid, woebegone, woeful, wretched, zesty