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)

Showing contempt; expressing disdain; showing a lack of respect.

* {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)

, chapter=5, title= A Cuckoo in the Nest , passage=The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite.