as in bitterness
a harsh or sharp quality
there's a mean-spirited poignance to the novel's satiric portrait of Hollywood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poignance
This reader, with at least 50 years more in corporeal form than Ching, could not help but rapidly identify with her wisdom and experience the poignance of her story.
—
BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2023
The wild-eyed goofy younger Springsteen cracks through, but never lightly, always with poignance.
—Christopher Borrelli, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2023
That means none of the bubble-burst poignance that Bartlett and Natasha Rothwell brought as the servant-victims of getaway decadence.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2022
Transcending expectations is its own expectation, and Midnights makes clear, with modest poignance, that Swift has burned out on her own hype.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for poignance
BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2023
The wild-eyed goofy younger Springsteen cracks through, but never lightly, always with poignance.
—Christopher Borrelli, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2023
That means none of the bubble-burst poignance that Bartlett and Natasha Rothwell brought as the servant-victims of getaway decadence.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2022
Transcending expectations is its own expectation, and Midnights makes clear, with modest poignance, that Swift has burned out on her own hype.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for poignance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poignance
Noun
-
As excited as Celebrini was to be back in San Jose, there was still some bitterness as to how the Olympic tournament ended.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Matcha provides the color and gives it a slight yet pleasant green-tea bitterness.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The four-piece set—a loveseat, two chairs, and a matching table—comfortably seats up to four, providing a perfect spot for small bites and drinks.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Wisconsin Watch is a member of the Gigafact program, newsrooms across the US that deliver bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
So there’s a special poignancy—even a measure of consolation—in the arrival of a new work, from another source entirely, that exemplifies the intelligence and the rigor of Wiseman’s methods.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The next two hours, presented in more dramatic terms, are humane, but not in a way that quite reaches poignancy.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The texture is a bit sticky, though blends out with ease for soft edges and a natural finish.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Rainwater tends to gather along the road edges.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poignance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poignance. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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