Complete Definition of "poignant"

English

Etymology
From the Old French poignant from poindre "to prick" from the Latin pungere "to prick"

Pronunciation
a|UK IPA|/�p�ɪn.j�nt/
SAMPA|/"pOIn.jEnt/
IPA|/'p�ɪn.j�nt/

Adjective
poignant

  1. obsolete (of a weapon etc) sharp-pointed; keen
  2. (of a look, or of words) piercing
  3. context|of a taste piquant
  4. context|of a smell pungent
  5. dated (mostly British) inducing sharp physical pain
  6. evoking sharp mental pain; distressing; emotionally moving

#:Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.

  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. pleasantly intense

Translations
trans-top|sharp-pointed; keen
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|��|trsurudoi
trans-bottom

trans-top|piercing
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|��|trsurudoi
trans-bottom

trans-top|piquant
Finnish: pikantti, kirpeä
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|��|trsurudoi
trans-bottom

trans-top|pungent
Finnish: pistävä
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|��|trsurudoi
trans-bottom

trans-top|inducing sharp physical pain
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|��|trsurudoi
trans-bottom

trans-top|evoking sharp mental pain; distressing; emotionally moving
Finnish: (evoking sharp mental pain') kipeä, arka; (emotionally moving) liikuttava
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|���|trtsūretsu-na
trans-bottom

trans-top|incisive; penetrating
Finnish: kärkevä
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|��|trsurudoi, t|ja|scJpan|���|trtsūretsu-na, t|ja|scJpan|�辣�|trshinratsu-na
trans-bottom

trans-top|neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant
trans-mid
Japanese: t|ja|scJpan|��|trsurudoi
trans-bottom

trans-top|pleasantly intense
trans-mid
trans-bottom

References
OED 2nd edition 1989
Webster Third New International 1986

et:poignant
fr:poignant
io:poignant
id:poignant
te:poignant
vi:poignant
zh:poignant

Revision and Credits for"poignant"
Dictionary content provided from Wiktionary.org under the
GNU Free Documentation License
 
 

 Find:
  Words Starting With:
  Words Ending With:
  Words Containing:
  Words That Match:

 
 Translate Into:
  
Dutch   French   German
  
Italian   Spanish
    Show results per page.

Browse the Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

   
Allwords Copyright 1998-2024 All rights reserved.