poign·ant (poin?y?nt)adj.1. a. Arousing deep emotion, especially pity or sorrow; touching: a poignant memory; a poignant story. See Synonyms at moving.b. Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings: poignant anxiety.c. Physically painful: “Keen, poignant agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward” (Ambrose Bierce).2. Piercing; incisive: poignant criticism.3. Agreeably intense or stimulating: “It was a poignant delight to breathe the keen air” (Joseph A. Altsheler).4. Archaic a. Sharp or sour to the taste; piquant.b. Sharp or pungent to the smell.[Middle English poinaunt, from Old French poignant, present participle of poindre, to prick, from Latin pungere; see peuk- in Indo-European roots.]poign?ance, poign?an·cy n.poign?ant·ly adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.