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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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.
—
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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Customers may have purchased the recalled small bites from February 6, 2025, through March 11, 2025.—
Anna Commander,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
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More affordable options for food at the pool hall include small bites, ranging from $1.75 lumpia to a $12.50 combo plate.—
Brianna Taylor,
Sacramento Bee,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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For added poignancy, the cover arrives at close to the first anniversary of Keith’s death from stomach cancer on Feb. 5, 2024.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
15 Jan. 2025
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If anything, that fact gives the film extra poignancy. 8.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Using heritage milling techniques, the Candiani fabrics were made on old-school shuttle looms, a time-intensive process that yields long-lasting denim finished with selvedge’s classic self-edge.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
11 Mar. 2025
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Resolution on Joey Bosa, the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher who is mulling interest from Miami.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poignance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poignance. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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