poignancy

noun

poi·​gnan·​cy ˈpȯi-nyən(t)-sē 

 sometimes  ˈpȯi(g)-nən(t)-sē

plural poignancies

1

: the quality or state of being poignant

2

: an instance of poignancy

Synonyms

• acerbity
• acidity
• acidness
• acridity
• acridness
• acrimoniousness
• acrimony
• acuteness
• asperity
• bite
• bitterness
• edge
• harshness
• keenness
• poignance
• pungency
• roughness
• sharpness
• tartness

Examples of poignancy in a Sentence

there was a poignancy to his wit that often left his targets smarting

Recent Examples on the Web

While there’s an extra poignancy in the work being shown at a museum on the National Mall, it wasn’t intended to be site-specific, and Pendleton was first pulled in by the visual rather than historical aspect of the event. —Stephanie Rudig, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025

Prince William Joins World Leaders at Pope Francis' Funeral Santa Maria Maggiore held deep poignancy for Francis and was one of his favorite places in Rome. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 27 Apr. 2025

The chronology-bending structure gives the show a bittersweet poignancy, with each moment tainted by its inverse. —Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025

There, a wide playing space where our focus could float, softening in the play’s desert air and in the yearning tenderness of its characters, felt exactly right, and Cromer could conduct with more breath, subtle poignancy, and looseness of grip. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

poignancy

noun

poi·​gnan·​cy ˈpȯi-nyən-sē 

: the quality or state of being poignant