Definitions

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a state of deeply felt distress or sorrow

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From poignant +‎ -ance.

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Examples

  • Maybe my son is exceptionally tender-hearted, but there is heavy pathos in poignance in this film.

    Has the Wild Rumpus Begun Yet? darkerblogistan 2009

  • There was even a recognition back then that superheroes, to some degree, had had their day-that there was a kind of poignance in the figure of the superhero set against the modern world.

    Mania News Feed 2009

  • Most New York revivals have focused on Follies with an upper case F, casting legendary, sometimes forgotten stars to build a sense of poignance about a spirit that cannot be recaptured.

    Howard Kissel: Another 'Follies' Howard Kissel 2011

  • She embodies Jane's most endearing qualities—courage, passion, devotion, unadorned beauty—but not for a moment the moist poignance that many of the umpteen previous versions have inflicted on her.

    See Jane Blossom: An Enthralling 'Eyre' Joe Morgenstern 2011

  • A shimmer of subsequent events gave the photograph an almost unbearable poignance.

    Happy Landings David Ackley 2011

  • Most New York revivals have focused on Follies with an upper case F, casting legendary, sometimes forgotten stars to build a sense of poignance about a spirit that cannot be recaptured.

    Howard Kissel: Another 'Follies' Howard Kissel 2011

  • Throughout, Chabon's prose moves elegantly from humor to honesty to poignance.

    Manhood for Amateurs: Summary and book reviews of Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon. 2009

  • Most New York revivals have focused on Follies with an upper case F, casting legendary, sometimes forgotten stars to build a sense of poignance about a spirit that cannot be recaptured.

    Howard Kissel: Another 'Follies' Howard Kissel 2011

  • The terminally ill inmate was played by the remarkable Red West, a former stuntman, Elvis Presley bodyguard and member of the King's "Memphis Mafia," lending the episode instant credibility and poignance.

    Cheers & Jeers: Memphis Beat — Don't Be Cruel! 2011

  • Most New York revivals have focused on Follies with an upper case F, casting legendary, sometimes forgotten stars to build a sense of poignance about a spirit that cannot be recaptured.

    Howard Kissel: Another 'Follies' Howard Kissel 2011

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