POIGNANTLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

poignantly

adverb

Definition of poignantly

as in sharply

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of poignantly Fans can expect old songs that are poignantly relevant again 30-some years after they were written — songs that highlight ongoing concerns with equal rights, politics and progressivism. — Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026 The play’s tension, gently but poignantly unspooled, develops from the fact that while Ryan has pursued a career onstage, Charlie never did. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026 That’s a process that can help clarify thoughts, but knowing that no one was behind the dialogue, that the empathy was a technique and not a presence, left me with a sense of being poignantly unheard. — Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026 Most poignantly, he was struck by how far the late, great Buck O’Neil’s museum has come since its inception in a one-room office in 1990. — Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 At once a coming-of-age drama and a portrait of a dying Texas town in the 1950s, The Last Picture Show, based on Pulitzer Prize winner Larry McMurtry’s novel, poignantly depicts the bleak descent of youth into jaded adulthood. — Air Mail, 22 Aug. 2026 Our range includes a meandering cowboy odyssey that sprawls from a nowhere town in Texas to Big Sky country, a poignantly observant memoir from a wild child Dreamlander, and a careful dissection of a situationship set to the rhythms of 1970s Brazil. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026 The reunion, poignantly, took place at Charles’s country home, Highgrove House, where Harry spent much of his childhood. — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 16 July 2026 As Ethan, Stock was as perversely alienating as he was poignantly alienated. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for poignantly

Adverb

When carb intake falls sharply, the liver turns fat into ketones, an alternative fuel for the brain and other tissues that may cause less metabolic stress.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
While agreeing that batteries play a key role in cutting emissions from transport and power generation, the study warns that emissions from producing them could rise sharply if manufacturing expands without cleaner processes.

— Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

Capturing the magic of young love where the connection between you seems to create your own special world, Givry’s film is keenly observed and a promising sign of hopefully more films to come.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026
On set, Creed-Miles was also falling deeply in love—with storytelling—while also keenly being aware of the high stakes of adapting a beloved Austen classic.

— Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of keenly

Adverb

As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Chef Steven Pham is still simmering his signature Northern Vietnamese-style pho ga, which features a soul-piercingly clear broth, tender poached chicken, rice noodles, and a floating raft of fresh herbs.

— Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026

Definition of piercingly

Adverb

That decision by the president was praised by Putin but criticized harshly by members of Congress, including some Republicans.

— Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Stewart was an executive producer of his friend Colbert’s show and harshly criticized the cancellation, rejecting Paramount’s financial justification and accusing the company of bending the knee to the president.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

Many of the children's bodies were severely decomposed, with only 26 able to be identified, and investigations into the other deaths are ongoing.

— Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
At least one case of congenital measles led to a death; the first death reported in the current outbreak was in a newborn baby boy, who died immediately after birth while his mother was severely ill with measles.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of severely

Browse Nearby Words

poignant

poignantly

point

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Poignantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poignantly. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of poignantly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

puissant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes