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
-
But her private letters to her sister Cassandra show a sharper and more astringent person, someone whose cruelty and bitterness were redeemed only by her jokes.—
Lucy Worsley
September 16,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The Bitter Mai Tai is a full-fledged neo classic, first bright with lime and rum, then deep with almond, and then—where a standard Mai Tai would fall away with a lingering malic zing—the Bitter Mai Tai rises in a bold third act, humming with bitterness and the banana-funk of the rum.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Watch this historic matchup on panoramic, state-of-the-art digital screens with premium seating, specialty cocktails, craft beer, and upscale bites like crispy chicken wings, flatbreads, and signature burgers.—
Nasha Smith,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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That took a huge bite out of Fox’s total numbers.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Jim Jarmusch‘s delicate triptych Father Mother Sister Brother, critically celebrated for its effortless poignancy, was the night’s dark horse champ, handing the American indie film icon his first Venice Golden Lion.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
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Adding further poignancy to his death Thursday is the fact that Armani, who held the role of chairman, chief executive officer and creative designer, will not be able to mark his namesake company’s 50th anniversary as planned.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.—
Jarrett Renshaw,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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On the other hand, edge computing will gain, too.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poignance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poignance. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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