Poignant

Adjective

 * 1)  sharp-pointed; keen.
 * 2) * 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VII:
 * His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].
 * 1) incisive; penetrating
 * His comments were poignant and witty.
 * 1) neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant
 * A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
 * 1) Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving
 * Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
 * 1)  piquant, pungent
 * 2)  piercing
 * 3)  inducing sharp physical pain

Synonyms

 * distressing, moving

Related terms

 * poignancy

Adverbs for Poignant
intensely; sharply; singularly; curiously; strangely; inscrutably; unexpectedly; apparently; manifestly; painfully; smartly; remarkably; strikingly; unbearably; trenchantly; vividly; suddenly

Thesaurus
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

Etymology
From poignant:, present participle of poindre: from  pungo:.

Translations

 * Greek: αιχημρός, οξύς
 * Italian: ,
 * Japanese: 鋭い


 * Portuguese: pontiagudo
 * Spanish:, punzo-cortante


 * Finnish:
 * Greek: αιχμηρός, διαπεραστικός
 * Italian:, ,


 * Japanese: 鋭い, 痛烈な, 辛辣な
 * Portuguese:, ,
 * Spanish:


 * Italian:, , ,
 * Japanese: 鋭い


 * Portuguese:, ,
 * Spanish:


 * Finnish: (evoking sharp mental pain') kipeä, arka; (emotionally moving) liikuttava
 * Greek: σπαραχτικός
 * Italian:


 * Japanese: 痛烈な
 * Portuguese:, , comovente
 * Spanish: conmovedor


 * Finnish:, ,
 * Italian: ,
 * Japanese: 鋭い


 * Portuguese: ,
 * Spanish: picante


 * Greek: διαπεραστικός
 * Italian:


 * Japanese: 鋭い
 * Portuguese:


 * Greek: οδυνηρός, επίπονος
 * Italian:


 * Japanese: 鋭い
 * Portuguese:

Verb
poignant