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Penitent vs Poignant - What's the difference?

penitent | poignant |

As adjectives the difference between penitent and poignant

is that penitent is feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life while poignant is sharp-pointed; keen.

As a noun penitent

is one who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his or her transgressions.

penitent

English

Alternative forms

* (archaic) * (qualifier)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses; repentant; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt, and resolved on amendment of life.
  • * 1838 , , (The Anatomy of Melancholy) , B. Blake, p.730,
    • If thou be penitent and grieved, or desirous to be so, these heinous sins shall not be laid to thy charge.
  • * Milton
    • Be penitent , and for thy fault contrite.
  • Doing penance.
    • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who repents of sin; one sorrowful on account of his or her transgressions.
  • One under church censure, but admitted to penance; one undergoing penance.
  • * 1837 , William Russell, The History of Modern Europe: with an Account of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Longman, Rees, & Co., page 20,
    • Wamba, who defeated the Saracens in an attempt upon Spain, was deprived of the crown, because he had been clothed in the habit of a penitent , while labouring under the influence of poison, administered by the ambitious Erviga!
  • One under the direction of a confessor.

    • Synonyms

    * penaunt

    Related terms

    * pen * penance * penitence * penitentiary * repent * repentance * repentant

    External links

    * * *

    poignant

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete, of a weapon etc) Sharp-pointed; keen.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , VII:
    • His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].
  • Incisive; penetrating.
    • His comments were poignant and witty.
  • neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.
    • A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
  • Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.
    • Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
  • (figuratively, of a taste or smell) Piquant, pungent.
  • Piercing.
  • (dated, mostly British) Inducing sharp physical pain.

    • Synonyms

    * (evoking strong mental sensation) distressing, moving

    Related terms

    * poignancy

    References

    * OED 2nd edition 1989 * Webster Third New International 1986 ----