Poignant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈpɔɪnjənt/

Definitions

1. Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret, often mixed with pleasure or beauty
2. Causing strong feelings of sorrow or melancholy that touch the heart deeply
3. Stirring a heartfelt emotional response, often involving sadness or nostalgia

Etymology: The literal sense of "poignant" is physical: it meant "sharp" or "piercing," as a thorn or a blade does. The word's origin lies in the Latin "pungere," "to prick," which also gave English "pungent," the word for a sharp smell or taste. The two words are doublets, meaning they entered English by different routes from the same source. "Pungent" came more directly from Latin, while "poignant" arrived through Anglo-Norman French, where a form of the verb "poindre," "to prick," had already been used. The shift from bodily pain to emotional pain happened gradually. A sharp point could hurt the body, and the same sense of piercing soon applied to feelings, so a sorrow or a memory could be described as cutting into the heart. Over time the physical sense faded and the emotional one became the main meaning, which is the sense in use today: a poignant scene or memory is one that moves us deeply.

Synonyms: touching, moving, emotional, heartfelt, sensitive

Antonyms: unemotional, indifferent, insensitive, unaffecting, bland