16 November 2016
poignant
[poin-yuh nt, poi-nuh nt]
adjective
1. keenly distressing to the feelings:
poignant regret.
2. keen or strong in mental appeal:
a subject of poignant interest.
3. affecting or moving the emotions:
a poignant scene.
4. pungent to the smell:
poignant cooking odors.
Origin of poignant
Middle English, Middle French, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English poynaunt < Middle French poignant, present participle of poindre < Latin pungere to prick, pierce. See pungent, -ant
Related forms
poignantly, adverb
unpoignant, adjective
unpoignantly, adverb
Synonyms
1. intense, sincere, heartfelt. 4. piquant, sharp.
Antonyms
1, 2. mild.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for poignant
Contemporary Examples
Colbert has deftly hosted benefits and other shows and given hilarious and poignant commencement speeches.
Yes, Stephen Colbert Will Be Great as Host of CBS’s ‘Late Night’
Pete Dominick
April 9, 2014
Perhaps the most poignant parts of the film come when the parents enter the scene.
Models vs. Militants: Nisha Pahuja’s Film Shows Two Worlds of Indian Women
Abigail Pesta
May 4, 2012
A more memorable and poignant experience came shortly afterwards.
Is Nick Ziobro the Next Frank Sinatra?
Steve North
July 18, 2014
Cross did some of her best work on the show in the poignant scene in which she learns by telephone that Rex has died.
‘Desperate Housewives’: 12 Most-Memorable Moments
Maria Elena Fernandez
May 13, 2012
Historical Examples
Her mouth was stretched in a horrible grimace, so poignant was her feeling.
Coquette
Frank Swinnerton
I left school also—with a mixture of hope and elation, and yet the most poignant regret.
The Martian
George Du Maurier
Sisterly love, free solitude, unpraised creation, were to remain your most poignant joys.
Emily Bront
A. Mary F. (Agnes Mary Frances) Robinson
He looked at Grassette with a look of poignant pity and interest combined.
Northern Lights
Gilbert Parker
Anagram
no taping
ingot pan
pant go in
Today’s quote
The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.
– Chanakya
On this day
16 November – International day for tolerance. ‘On this International Day of Tolerance, I call on all people and governments to actively combat fear, hatred and extremism with dialogue, understanding and mutual respect. Let us advance against the forces of division and unite for our shared future‘, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
16 November 1793 – During the French Revolution, 90 Catholic priests who were opposed to the Republic, are executed by drowning at Nantes.
16 November 1938 – Swiss scientist, Dr Albert Hofmann, creates the synthetic drug, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.
16 November 1945 – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is founded in order ‘to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science, culture and communication in order to further universal respect for justice and the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion’.
16 November 1988 – 35 year old, Benazir Bhutto elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state. She was a member of the democratic-socialist Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).