Poignant
adjective
Causing a strong feeling of sadness.
The movie was very poignant and brought tears to my eyes.
Often appears as...
- a poignant moment
- poignant scene
adjective
Being very keen in effect, sharp.
His poignant criticism of the government's policy stirred up a debate.
Often appears as...
- poignant criticism
- poignant observation
adjective
Evoking a keen sense of regret or nostalgia.
His poignant verses about lost love touched everyone's heart.
Often appears as...
- poignant verses
- poignant memory
Usage tips
Literary
adjective
Causing a strong feeling of sadness.
The movie was very poignant and brought tears to my eyes.
Often appears as...
- a poignant moment
- poignant scene
adjective
Being very keen in effect, sharp.
His poignant criticism of the government's policy stirred up a debate.
Often appears as...
- poignant criticism
- poignant observation
adjective
Evoking a keen sense of regret or nostalgia.
His poignant verses about lost love touched everyone's heart.
Often appears as...
- poignant verses
- poignant memory
Usage tips
Literary
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Sadness Intensity
Use 'poignant' to describe deep sorrow that might feel overwhelming or consuming.
Her loss was so poignant that she found it hard to speak.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Just Sad
'Poignant' can imply a beauty or profundity in sadness, often mixed with nostalgia.
The old photo album gave a poignant glimpse into her grandmother's past.
Pro Tip 3/3Emotive Power
It's strong enough to evoke emotions in others, not just a personal feeling.
The poignant silence after the speech left the audience teary-eyed.
Pro Tip 1/3Sadness Intensity
Use 'poignant' to describe deep sorrow that might feel overwhelming or consuming.
Her loss was so poignant that she found it hard to speak.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Just Sad
'Poignant' can imply a beauty or profundity in sadness, often mixed with nostalgia.
The old photo album gave a poignant glimpse into her grandmother's past.
Pro Tip 3/3Emotive Power
It's strong enough to evoke emotions in others, not just a personal feeling.
The poignant silence after the speech left the audience teary-eyed.
Pro Tip 1/3Sadness Intensity
Use 'poignant' to describe deep sorrow that might feel overwhelming or consuming.
Her loss was so poignant that she found it hard to speak.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Just Sad
'Poignant' can imply a beauty or profundity in sadness, often mixed with nostalgia.
The old photo album gave a poignant glimpse into her grandmother's past.
Pro Tip 3/3Emotive Power
It's strong enough to evoke emotions in others, not just a personal feeling.
The poignant silence after the speech left the audience teary-eyed.
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Video examples
How to make a sad story...
The narrative style draws upon the perspective of children to infuse a tragic story with poignant humor. When the adults funnel decades of tensions over race, class, and family dynamics into their expectations for their children’s behavior, you can’t help but chuckle with recognition when,
Video examples
Why do we feel...
But over the next few decades, the understanding of nostalgia changed in two important ways. Its meaning expanded from indicating homesickness to a general longing for the past. And rather than an awful disease, it began to be seen as a poignant and pleasant experience.
Video examples
Blueprint for a quiet...
or extrovert and then I'm going to ask each group to select the most personal poignant private of these stories and share them with the audience as a whole and from this collaborative group process a larger truth will emerge I'm just kidding I'm just kidding we're not
Video examples
Todd Kuiken: A...
We greet with our hands. And we interact with the physical world with our hands. And when they're missing, it's a barrier. Arm amputation is usually caused by trauma, with things like industrial accidents, motor vehicle collisions or, very poignantly, war.
Video examples
Sisonke Msimang: If a...
as though it's about more than entertainment, as though it's about being a catalyst for social action. It's not uncommon to hear people say that stories make the world a better place. Increasingly, though, I worry that even the most poignant stories,
Video examples
Rives: The Museum of...
I received a little bit of grace. I received a poignant tweet. It was brief. It just said, "Reminds me of an ancient mix tape." The name was a pseudonym, actually, or a pseudo-pseudonym. As soon as I saw the initials, and the profile pic,
Video examples
Annie Murphy Paul: What...
a hyper-awareness of one's surroundings, a quick-trigger response to danger -- could save someone's life. The notion that the prenatal transmission of PTSD risk is adaptive is still speculative, but I find it rather poignant.
Video examples
Carol Beckwith & Angela...
mother the next day she's meant to roll this coil forward which puts her into a kind of tunnel giving her only a vision of straight ahead this is believed to protect her from the poignant emotions
Video examples
Earthrise: The Story of...
the moon might have been what the earth looked like before life like we were back at the beginning I can remember feeling that way it was a poignant moment space is black why ain't black velvet
Video examples
The Antarctic's...
it's very poignant because record high temperatures are being observed in the antarctic peninsula in the last few years and what we're
Video examples
How to make a sad story...
The narrative style draws upon the perspective of children to infuse a tragic story with poignant humor. When the adults funnel decades of tensions over race, class, and family dynamics into their expectations for their children’s behavior, you can’t help but chuckle with recognition when,
Video examples
Why do we feel...
But over the next few decades, the understanding of nostalgia changed in two important ways. Its meaning expanded from indicating homesickness to a general longing for the past. And rather than an awful disease, it began to be seen as a poignant and pleasant experience.
Video examples
Blueprint for a quiet...
or extrovert and then I'm going to ask each group to select the most personal poignant private of these stories and share them with the audience as a whole and from this collaborative group process a larger truth will emerge I'm just kidding I'm just kidding we're not
Video examples
Todd Kuiken: A...
We greet with our hands. And we interact with the physical world with our hands. And when they're missing, it's a barrier. Arm amputation is usually caused by trauma, with things like industrial accidents, motor vehicle collisions or, very poignantly, war.
Video examples
Sisonke Msimang: If a...
as though it's about more than entertainment, as though it's about being a catalyst for social action. It's not uncommon to hear people say that stories make the world a better place. Increasingly, though, I worry that even the most poignant stories,
Video examples
Rives: The Museum of...
I received a little bit of grace. I received a poignant tweet. It was brief. It just said, "Reminds me of an ancient mix tape." The name was a pseudonym, actually, or a pseudo-pseudonym. As soon as I saw the initials, and the profile pic,
Video examples
Annie Murphy Paul: What...
a hyper-awareness of one's surroundings, a quick-trigger response to danger -- could save someone's life. The notion that the prenatal transmission of PTSD risk is adaptive is still speculative, but I find it rather poignant.
Video examples
Carol Beckwith & Angela...
mother the next day she's meant to roll this coil forward which puts her into a kind of tunnel giving her only a vision of straight ahead this is believed to protect her from the poignant emotions
Video examples
Earthrise: The Story of...
the moon might have been what the earth looked like before life like we were back at the beginning I can remember feeling that way it was a poignant moment space is black why ain't black velvet
Video examples
The Antarctic's...
it's very poignant because record high temperatures are being observed in the antarctic peninsula in the last few years and what we're
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Abraham Verghese
Ethiopian Author
Medicine may be the lens through which I see the world, but since I think of medicine as 'life +', a place where life is exaggerated and seen at its most vital and poignant, I'll be writing about life more than I will be writing about medicine.
Quote examples
Howie Mandel
Comedian
We sat down and told stories that happened to us in our childhood, to our children. They were all basically based on the truth. These stories were funny and poignant to us. They just took off. These are all stories from my life.
Quote examples
Karen Abbott
American Author
I think the most important thing journalism taught me is to mine for details. The details are key. You can't try to be funny or strange or poignant; you have to let the details be funny or strange or poignant for you.
Quote examples
Arthur Miller
American Playwright
He wants to live on through something-and in his case, his masterpiece is his son. all of us want that, and it gets more poignant as we get more anonymous in this world.
Quote examples
Nick Sagan
American Novelist
Astonishingly powerful and poignant, 'Gravity' is the rarest of rares: a space survival film informed by a genuine reverence for the awe-inspiring cosmos we inhabit.
Quote examples
James Mercer
American Musician
The love you have for your kids is so overwhelmingly powerful that it alters your perspective. The dark things going on in the world become very poignant and vivid.
Quote examples
Elizabeth Bibesco
British Poet
Only the artists interest me whose hearts beat in unison with the poignant misery of the world. If you have not felt that, you have not lived. Pity is essential.
Quote examples
Eddie Vedder
American Musician
It's fun singing with other people who are really good singers. There's something kind of poignant about braiding a couple vocals.
Quote examples
Sam Taylor-Johnson
English Director
I only photograph myself at poignant moments in my life as a check of where I am and how large my thighs are.
Quote examples
Samuel Richardson
English Novelist
There would be no supporting life were we to feel quite as poignantly for others as we do for ourselves.
Quote examples
Abraham Verghese
Ethiopian Author
Medicine may be the lens through which I see the world, but since I think of medicine as 'life +', a place where life is exaggerated and seen at its most vital and poignant, I'll be writing about life more than I will be writing about medicine.
Quote examples
Howie Mandel
Comedian
We sat down and told stories that happened to us in our childhood, to our children. They were all basically based on the truth. These stories were funny and poignant to us. They just took off. These are all stories from my life.
Quote examples
Karen Abbott
American Author
I think the most important thing journalism taught me is to mine for details. The details are key. You can't try to be funny or strange or poignant; you have to let the details be funny or strange or poignant for you.
Quote examples
Arthur Miller
American Playwright
He wants to live on through something-and in his case, his masterpiece is his son. all of us want that, and it gets more poignant as we get more anonymous in this world.
Quote examples
Nick Sagan
American Novelist
Astonishingly powerful and poignant, 'Gravity' is the rarest of rares: a space survival film informed by a genuine reverence for the awe-inspiring cosmos we inhabit.
Quote examples
James Mercer
American Musician
The love you have for your kids is so overwhelmingly powerful that it alters your perspective. The dark things going on in the world become very poignant and vivid.
Quote examples
Elizabeth Bibesco
British Poet
Only the artists interest me whose hearts beat in unison with the poignant misery of the world. If you have not felt that, you have not lived. Pity is essential.
Quote examples
Eddie Vedder
American Musician
It's fun singing with other people who are really good singers. There's something kind of poignant about braiding a couple vocals.
Quote examples
Sam Taylor-Johnson
English Director
I only photograph myself at poignant moments in my life as a check of where I am and how large my thighs are.
Quote examples
Samuel Richardson
English Novelist
There would be no supporting life were we to feel quite as poignantly for others as we do for ourselves.
Example 1 of 10
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