Definitions for poignant
ˈpɔɪn yənt, ˈpɔɪ nəntpoignant

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. affecting, poignant, touching(adj)

   arousing affect

   "the homecoming of the released hostages was an affecting scene"; "poignant grief cannot endure forever"; "his gratitude was simple and touching"

2. poignant(adj)

   keenly distressing to the mind or feelings

   "poignant anxiety"

Wiktionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. poignant(Adjective)

   Sharp-pointed; keen.

   Etymology: From poynaunt, puignant et al., poignant, present participle of poindre, from pungo.

2. poignant(Adjective)

   Incisive; penetrating.

   His comments were poignant and witty.

   Etymology: From poynaunt, puignant et al., poignant, present participle of poindre, from pungo.

3. poignant(Adjective)

   neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.

   A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.

   Etymology: From poynaunt, puignant et al., poignant, present participle of poindre, from pungo.

4. poignant(Adjective)

   Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.

   Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.

   Etymology: From poynaunt, puignant et al., poignant, present participle of poindre, from pungo.

5. poignant(Adjective)

   Piquant, pungent.

   Etymology: From poynaunt, puignant et al., poignant, present participle of poindre, from pungo.

6. poignant(Adjective)

   Piercing.

   Etymology: From poynaunt, puignant et al., poignant, present participle of poindre, from pungo.

7. poignant(Adjective)

   Inducing sharp physical pain.

   Etymology: From poynaunt, puignant et al., poignant, present participle of poindre, from pungo.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Poignant(adj)

   pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent

   Etymology: [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.]

2. Poignant(adj)

   fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical

   Etymology: [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L. pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Poignant

   poin′ant, adj. stinging, pricking: sharp: penetrating: acutely painful: satirical: pungent.—n. Poign′ancy, state of being poignant.—adv. Poign′antly. [O. Fr. poignant, poindre—L. pungĕre, to sting.]

How to pronounce poignant?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say poignant in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of poignant in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of poignant in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of poignant in a Sentence

1. Martin Garside:

   It is incredibly sad - I was literally two feet from this dead whale, it was both poignant and a bit eerie really - road traffic was thundering overhead on the busiest motorway in Britain and oblivious to all the people in the cars and lorries there was a 10-metre long beautiful whale floating dead beneath them.

2. Alicia Keys ':

   It has always been such a personal song and such a poignant song, and every time I play it, I want to cry because I'm thinking of my mother, I'm thinking of my grandmother, I'm thinking of friends of mine who can't make ends meet.

3. Constantin Stanislavski:

   Success is transient, evanescent. The real passion lies in the poignant acquisition of knowledge about all the shading and subtleties of the creative secrets.

4. Jim Morekis:

   “From Conrad Aiken to Flannery O’Connor to Midnight, Savannah has always been a literary town. But certainly one of her most consistently excellent—and consistently underrated—writers is the man known as Aberjhani. Known for his nationally published short stories and poetry Aberjhani has received critical acclaim for his ability to encapsulate the Southern black experience in a sensitive and poignant way that’s accessible to readers of any race or region.” --from All That Jazz

5. Perry Brass:

   The most amazing thing about young men is how invisible they were to you when you were young. It is also the most poignant.

Images & Illustrations of poignant

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