Definition of POIGNANT

poignant

Adjective Satellite

  • arousing affect
    • "poignant grief cannot endure forever"
  • keenly distressing to the mind or feelings
    • "poignant anxiety"

Adj

  • Sharp-pointed; keen.
  • Neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.
  • Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.
  • Piquant, pungent.
  • Incisive; penetrating; piercing.
  • Inducing sharp physical pain.

Adjective

  • Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; deeply touching.

Examples

  • A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
  • Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
  • His comments were poignant and witty.
  • The final score of the Scrabble game was so close, it left a ’POIGNANT’ feeling for the loser.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Scrabble Score: 11

poignant: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
poignant: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
poignant: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

poignant: valid Words With Friends Word