poignancy

/ˈpɔɪnjən(t)si/

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,808 of 15,258leans written

Poignancy is the quality of touching you sharply and sadly. The poignancy of the letter.

It usually comes from knowing what happened afterwards, which the people in the scene did not. The Latin behind it is pricking, so poignancy is a sharp feeling rather than a heavy one.

Definitions of poignancy

1nounpoignancyThe quality of touching you sharply and sadly.C1
“The poignancy of the photograph is entirely in the date on the back.”

poignancy is a quality.

Practise this word

poignancy in the wild

The track gained poignancy after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Safe in New York City
In a review in The New York Times, Patty Campbell praised the book's "grave humor" and "almost unbearable poignancy".
The Cookcamp
The film garnered acclaim from reviewers, who compared it favorably to The Darjeeling Limited and praised its richness, poignancy, and careful construction.
Hotel Chevalier
John Bridcut describes the piece as a "fascinating harbinger of the mature Britten" with "moments of wit and poignancy, all delivered with an angular energy".
Plymouth Town
Upon its release, the book was generally well received by critics, who praised its humor and poignancy.
Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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