poignance

poign·ant (poin

nt)

adj.

a. Profoundly moving; touching: a poignant memory. See Synonyms at moving.

b. Physically painful: "Keen, poignant agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward" (Ambrose Bierce).

c. Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings: poignant anxiety.

2. Piercing; incisive: poignant criticism.

a. Neat, skillful, and to the point: poignant illustrations supplementing the text.

b. Astute and pertinent; relevant: poignant suggestions.

4. Agreeably intense or stimulating: poignant delight.

5. Archaic

a. Sharp or sour to the taste; piquant.

b. Sharp or pungent to the smell.

[Middle English poinaunt, from Old French poignant, present participle of poindre, to prick, from Latin pungere; see peuk- in Indo-European roots.]

poignance, poignan·cy n.

poignant·ly adv.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun

poignance - a state of deeply felt distress or sorrow; "a moment of extraordinary poignancy"

poignancy

sorrowfulness, sadness, sorrow - the state of being sad; "she tired of his perpetual sadness"

Mentioned in	?		References in periodicals archive	?		Dictionary browser	?		Full browser	?
poignancy poignant sadness sorrow sorrowfulness	MARILYN STASIO San Antonio Exp-News **** "The pleasures of the Dortmunder series achieve special poignance in Get Real, as the story unfolds in the usual way: assembling the regulars--Dortmunder, Kelp, Stan the Driver and Tiny, who was introduced stealing compact cars by picking them up one at a time and loading them into the back of a moving van--in the grungy back room of the O. Crime by Bookmarks Adding to the poignance of Teena's suffering, Bethie, lying beaten and bruised on the "filthy floor" of the boathouse (23) herself, witnesses her mother being ravished. Woman as survivor in oates's rape: A love story by Chatterjee, Srirupa; Neelakantan, Gurumurthy / Notes on Contemporary Literature Kristan imparts this gradual downward spiral with tremendous assurance, humor and poignance. Real world and fantasy mix in thrilling psycho-drama by Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)	Pogonia rosea pogoniasis pogonion pogonip pogonology pogonophile pogonophobia Pogonophora pogonophoran pogonotomy pogonotrophy Pogostemon Pogostemon cablin pogrom Pogson ratio pogy Poh Pohagen Pohai Pohang Pohnpei pohutukawa poi poi dance Poicile poignance poignancy poignant poignantly Poikilitic poikilocyte poikilotherm Poikilothermal poikilothermic poikilothermism Poikilothermous poikilothermy poilu Poincaré poinciana Poinciana gilliesii Poinciana pulcherrima Poinciana regia poind Poinder poinephobia poinsettia poinsettia strain point point after point after touchdown	pohutukawa pohutukawas poi poi poi poi dance poi dance POIA Poiarkov, Vasilii Poiarkov, Vasilii Danilovich Poiarkovo Poiasovyi Kamen POIC Poicile Poictesme Poictou Poictou Poid Maximal Autorisé Poid Total en Charge POIDH poidometer Poids Total Autorisé en Charge Poids Total Roulant Autorisé Poids Vide POIE Poienesti POIF POIG poignance poignances poignances poignancies poignancies poignancy poignancy poignant poignant poignantly poignantly poikil(o)- poikil- poikile poikile Poikilitic Poikilitic poikilo- poikiloblast poikiloblast poikiloblastic poikilocrystallic poikilocyte poikilocyte poikilocyte poikilocytosis poikilocytosis poikilocytosis poikiloderma poikiloderma atrophicans vasculare poikiloderma congenitale

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poignancy
poignant
sadness
sorrow
sorrowfulness

MARILYN STASIO San Antonio Exp-News **** "The pleasures of the Dortmunder series achieve special poignance in Get Real, as the story unfolds in the usual way: assembling the regulars--Dortmunder, Kelp, Stan the Driver and Tiny, who was introduced stealing compact cars by picking them up one at a time and loading them into the back of a moving van--in the grungy back room of the O.

Crime by Bookmarks

Adding to the poignance of Teena's suffering, Bethie, lying beaten and bruised on the "filthy floor" of the boathouse (23) herself, witnesses her mother being ravished.

Woman as survivor in oates's rape: A love story by Chatterjee, Srirupa; Neelakantan, Gurumurthy / Notes on Contemporary Literature

Kristan imparts this gradual downward spiral with tremendous assurance, humor and poignance.

Real world and fantasy mix in thrilling psycho-drama by Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)

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poignance