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poignant

ˈpɔɪnjəntadjective

What does poignant mean?

Causing a sharp, bittersweet sadness.

Poignant, six ways

PlainCausing a sharp, bittersweet sadness.
ADHDHits you. Sad and sharp. Stays.
Gen ZThe kind of sad that is almost beautiful. The last episode, the old voicemail.
MetaphorA splinter in the soft part of the heart.
FormalEvoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; deeply moving.
Like I’m 5Something that makes you feel sad and touched at the same time. That’s poignant.

How to pronounce poignant

POYN-yunt/ˈpɔɪnjənt/

Poignant in a sentence

There was a poignant pause before she answered.
The letters from home were poignant.
Her last scene is quietly poignant.

Synonyms for poignant

movingPlainer.
touchingGentler and warmer.
bittersweetSad and sweet at once.

Where poignant comes from

Old French. Poignant, pricking, from poindre, to prick, from Latin pungere. The same root as point.

Good to know

The g is silent. Poignant moments sting a little, usually with beauty or memory in them; for plain sadness, sad is enough.

Poignant meaning, on a Gloss card: Causing a sharp, bittersweet sadness.

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Words like poignant

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In: Words for feelings · Words that make you sound smart