Poignant \Poign"ant\, a. [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L.
pungere to prick, sting. See Pungent.]
1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. "His poignant spear."
--Spenser. "Poynaunt sauce." --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.
[1913 Webster]
His wit . . . became more lively and poignant. --Sir
W. Scott.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
poignant
adj 1: arousing affect; "the homecoming of the released hostages
was an affecting scene"; "poignant grief cannot endure
forever"; "his gratitude was simple and touching"
[syn: affecting, touching]
2: keenly distressing to the mind or feelings; "poignant
anxiety"
WordNet (r) 2.0
162 Moby Thesaurus words for "poignant":
absorbing, acerbic, acid, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, acute,
affecting, afflictive, agitating, agonizing, asperous, astringent,
atrocious, barbed, biting, bitter, bleak, blue, caustic, cheerless,
comfortless, corrosive, cramping, cruel, cutting, deep, deep-felt,
deepgoing, deplorable, depressing, depressive, disastrous,
discomforting, dismal, dismaying, distressful, distressing,
disturbing, dolorific, dolorogenic, dolorous, double-edged,
dramatic, dreary, driving, earnest, edged, effective, emotional,
escharotic, excruciating, exquisite, extreme, fierce, forceful,
forcible, gnawing, grave, grievous, griping, gutsy, hard,
harrowing, harsh, heartfelt, homefelt, hurtful, hurting,
imperative, impressive, incisive, indelible, intense, irritating,
joyless, keen, lamentable, lively, melancholy, miserable,
mordacious, mordant, mournful, moving, nervous, nose-tickling,
painful, paroxysmal, pathetic, penetrating, peppery, peppy,
perturbing, pervading, piercing, piquant, piteous, pitiable,
pitiful, pointed, powerful, profound, punchy, pungent, racking,
racy, regrettable, rigorous, rough, rueful, sad, saddening,
sarcastic, sardonic, scathing, sensational, severe, sharp,
shooting, sincere, sinewed, sinewy, slashing, snappy, sore,
sorrowful, sour, sparkling, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spicy,
spirited, stabbing, stinging, stirring, strident, striking,
stringent, strong, tart, telling, tormenting, torturous, touching,
tragic, trenchant, uncomfortable, upsetting, vehement, vigorous,
violent, virulent, vital, vitriolic, vivacious, vivid, woebegone,
woeful, wretched, zesty
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
affecting, touching
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