- Profoundly moving; touching: a poignant memory. See synonyms at moving.
- Physically painful: "Keen, poignant agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward" (Ambrose Bierce).
- Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings: poignant anxiety.
- Piercing; incisive: poignant criticism.
- Neat, skillful, and to the point: poignant illustrations supplementing the text.
- Astute and pertinent; relevant: poignant suggestions.
- Agreeably intense or stimulating: poignant delight.
- Archaic.
- Sharp or sour to the taste; piquant.
- Sharp or pungent to the smell.
[Middle English poinaunt, from Old French poignant, present participle of poindre, to prick, from Latin pungere.]
poignance poign'ance or poign'an·cy n.poignantly poign'ant·ly adv.





