Poignant
adjective /ˈpɔɪ.njənt/ — Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret
Definition
Having a sharp, pleasantly painful emotional effect — touching in a way that is both beautiful and sorrowful, producing a feeling that lingers.
Beyond the definition
The emotion that beauty and grief share when they arrive together. Something poignant doesn't just make you sad — it makes you feel that the sadness was somehow right.
Origin & history
From Old French 'poignant' (sharp, pricking), from 'poindre' (to prick) — from Latin 'pungere' (to pierce). Poignant emotion pierces.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The final scene was poignant precisely because nothing dramatic happened in it.
There is something poignant about seeing the house after everyone has left.
Poignant is the word for a happiness that knows it will end.
Synonyms
touching, moving, affecting, tender, bittersweet
Antonyms
bland, unmoved, cold
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Adult looking at empty chair
An adult sits in a dark, quiet room, looking at a single, empty chair, showing profound sense of loss.
The sight of the chair, emphasized by the somber, low lighting, is poignant. It is both beautiful in its simplicity and deeply sorrowful in its absence, producing an emotional effect that lingers in the quiet, reflective space of the room.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration