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.

Adjective

(en adjective)

Full of ardor; fervent, passionate.

* 1956 — , The City and the Stars , p 43

This ardent exploration, absorbing all his energy and interest, made him forget for the moment the mystery of his heritage and the anomaly that cut him off from all his fellows.

* {{quote-book

, year=1818 , author=Mary Shelley , title=Frankenstein , chapter=4 citation , passage=I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted; that cannot be; listen patiently until the end of my story, and you will easily perceive why I am reserved upon that subject. I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery.}}

Burning; glowing; shining.