Link Centre Dictionary

poignant

poig·nant

UK/ˈpɔɪ.nənt/ US/ˈpɔɪ.njənt/ uncommon dated obsolete uk

adjective

1.

arousing affect

  • “the homecoming of the released hostages was an affecting scene”
  • “poignant grief cannot endure forever”
  • “his gratitude was simple and touching”
Synonyms
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2.

keenly distressing to the mind or feelings

  • “poignant anxiety”
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Origin

From Middle English poynaunt, poynant, borrowed from Anglo-Norman puignant, poynaunt etc., present participle of poindre (“to prick”), from Latin pungō (“prick”). Doublet of pungent.

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Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.