adjective

poignant

/ˈpɔɪnjənt/ · say it: POY·nuhnt

evoking a keen sense of sadness

In Sophisticated Everyday

In more detail

1. (adjective) causing sadness or pity; touching the emotions deeply

2. (adjective) having a strong, sharp smell or taste

Examples

1. The film tells a poignant story about a family separated by war.
2. The poignant aroma of garlic filled the kitchen.

How to use poignant

Poignant describes something that evokes deep emotion, particularly sadness, pity, or bittersweet feeling. The emotional sense (meaning 1) is far more common in modern English than the archaic sensory sense (meaning 2). It suggests something sharply felt and memorable rather than merely sad.

Common phrases

poignant moment
poignant reminder
poignant scene
poignant loss
poignant beauty
poignant irony

Synonyms

moving · touching · affecting · stirring · evocative

Opposites

mundane · trivial · unmemorable

Word family

poignancy (noun) · poignantly (adverb)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use poignant to mean simply 'sad' or 'emotional' without the additional sense of being piercing, touching, or achieving emotional depth; it is more specific and literary than these general terms.

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