11 definitions found for poignant

Poignant POIGNANT, a. poin'ant. [L. pungere, pungo, to prick.]
1. Sharp; stimulating the organs of taste; as poignant sauce.
2. Pointed; keen; bitter; irritating; satirical; as poignant wit.
3. Severe; piercing; very painful or acute; as poignant pain or grief.

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, poignant, touching] 2: keenly distressing to the mind or feelings; "poignant anxiety"

poignant c.1390, from O.Fr. poignant, prp. of poindre "to prick," from L. pungere "to prick."

poignant adjective Etymology: Middle English poynaunt, from Anglo-French poinant, poignant, present participle of poindre to prick, sting, from Latin pungere — more at pungent Date: 14th century 1. pungently pervasive <a poignant perfume> 2. a. (1) painfully affecting the feelings ; piercing (2) deeply affecting ; touching b. designed to make an impression ; cutting <poignant satire> 3. a. pleasurably stimulating b. being to the point ; apt Synonyms: see pungent, moving • poignantly adverb

poignant
adj.
1 painfully sharp to the emotions or senses; deeply moving.
2 arousing sympathy.
3 sharp or pungent in taste or smell.
4 pleasantly piquant.
Derivatives:
poignance n. poignancy n. poignantly adv.
Etymology: ME f. OF, pres. part. of poindre prick f. L pungere

poignant Something that is poignant affects you deeply and makes you feel sadness or regret. ...a poignant combination of beautiful surroundings and tragic history. ADJ • poignantly Naomi's mothering experiences are poignantly described in her fiction. ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj

poignant ˈpɔɪnənt adj. 1 painfully sharp to the emotions or senses; deeply moving. 2 arousing sympathy. 3 sharp or pungent in taste or smell. 4 pleasantly piquant. øøpoignance n. poignancy n. poignantly adv. [ME f. OF, pres. part. of poindre prick f. L pungere]

Poignant Poign"ant, a. [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.] 1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. ``His poignant spear.'' --Spenser. ``Poynaunt sauce.'' --Chaucer. 2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical. His wit . . . became more lively and poignant. --Sir W. Scott.

poignant a. 1. Sharp, severe, piercing, penetrating, intense, bitter. 2. Pungent, biting, acrid, piquant, sharp, pricking, stinging, mordacious. 3. Keen, pointed, caustic, irritating, bitter, satirical, sarcastic, severe, mordant.

poignant ˈpɔɪnənt adj. 1 distressing, upsetting, agonizing, grievous, painful, woeful, melancholy, blue, sad, sorrowful, tragic, disastrous, heart-rending, heart-breaking, excruciating, bitter, pathetic, pitiable, piteous, pitiful, miserable, moving, touching: The biography also covers the poignant early years, spent largely in orphanages and foster homes. 2 keen, acute, intense, incisive, sharp, stinging, pointed, piercing, penetrating, barbed, cutting, caustic, acid, acerbic, bitter, biting, mordant, sarcastic, sardonic, severe: The headmaster's poignant remarks about honesty and loyalty really hurt. 3 sincere, earnest, heartfelt, deep, profound, dramatic, deeply felt, stirring, moving, touching, emotional: The reunion of the little boy and his dog was the most poignant moment in the film.

162 Moby Thesaurus words for "poignant": 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