poign·an·cy

[poin-yuhn-see, poin-uhn-]
noun, plural poign·an·cies for 2.
1.
the state or condition of being poignant.
2.
a poignant moment, event, situation, or the like.

Origin:
1680–90; poign(ant) + -ancy

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To poignancy
Collins
World English Dictionary
poignant (ˈpɔɪnjənt, -nənt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  sharply distressing or painful to the feelings
2.  to the point; cutting or piercing: poignant wit
3.  keen or pertinent in mental appeal: a poignant subject
4.  pungent in smell
 
[C14: from Old French, from Latin pungens pricking, from pungere to sting, pierce, grieve]
 
'poignancy
 
n
 
'poignance
 
n
 
'poignantly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Poignancy is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Example sentences
And this makes for painful diffusion of the play's obvious poignancy.
These contrasts give the photograph a sense of poignancy.
Heavy clouds are gathering on the geopolitical horizon, which lends a special poignancy to the domestic comings and goings.
Around every strange and colorful corner is a lurking poignancy.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT