as in bitterness
a harsh or sharp quality
there's a mean-spirited poignance to the novel's satiric portrait of Hollywood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of poignance
If reproductive futurism is fixated on meaning-making, as in, drawing existential poignance out of the illusion of progress and succession, then Edelman’s proposition encourages the rejection of meaning and determinacy itself in the pursuit of ideological liberation.
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Alex Quicho, Wired, 9 Jan. 2022
That means none of the bubble-burst poignance that Bartlett and Natasha Rothwell brought as the servant-victims of getaway decadence.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2022
Transcending expectations is its own expectation, and Midnights makes clear, with modest poignance, that Swift has burned out on her own hype.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2022
In the song’s intro, processional drums and a trembling guitar line promised a power ballad with all the poignance of a Steven Spielberg movie.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for poignance 
Alex Quicho, Wired, 9 Jan. 2022
That means none of the bubble-burst poignance that Bartlett and Natasha Rothwell brought as the servant-victims of getaway decadence.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2022
Transcending expectations is its own expectation, and Midnights makes clear, with modest poignance, that Swift has burned out on her own hype.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2022
In the song’s intro, processional drums and a trembling guitar line promised a power ballad with all the poignance of a Steven Spielberg movie.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for poignance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poignance
Noun
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Outside of in-room dining, current options to grab a bite to eat include La Terrasse, Café Laurier, and Wilfrid's Restaurant.Danielle Harling, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2024
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Nerve and muscle damage from the bite is preventing any mobility.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In fact, though several have extraordinary voices, notably Ingram, the movie seems to be banking more on the poignancy of someone trying to push past their range.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
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The point is, the hearing aid ups the poignancy meter exponentially.Steven Aquino, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
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He was rated as the No. 1 edge rusher by Rivals and On3 in the 2024 recruiting cycle.Mitch Sherman, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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But something else has been cultivated in the process of essentially playing a full extra season in the last six years: a prevailing psychological edge that should gird them for the playoffs in a way no other current NFL team can know.Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near poignance
Cite this Entry
“Poignance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poignance. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
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