How to Memorize

poignant - moving

Analysis

Something ‘poignant’ touches you deeply and makes you feel a certain sense of sadness or regret. Essentially, it refers to anything that is extremely effective at stirring melancholic emotions. However, while something poignant can reduce you to tears, it is typically not used in a negative sense.

Example(s)

1. The ceremony was a poignant tribute to a person who had had such a big impact on people’s lives.

2. There was a certain poignancy to Claire giving the keynote speech at the conference as she is retiring at the end of the year.

3. In his newspaper column, the journalist poignantly recounted his shock at hearing the sad news.