Poignant
English Meaning
Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent.
- Profoundly moving; touching: a poignant memory. See Synonyms at moving.
- Physically painful: "Keen, poignant agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward” ( Ambrose Bierce).
- Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings: poignant anxiety.
- Piercing; incisive: poignant criticism.
- Neat, skillful, and to the point: poignant illustrations supplementing the text.
- Astute and pertinent; relevant: poignant suggestions.
- Agreeably intense or stimulating: poignant delight.
- Archaic Sharp or sour to the taste; piquant.
- Archaic Sharp or pungent to the smell.