Poignant vs Pertinent - What's the difference?
poignant | pertinent |
(obsolete, of a weapon etc) Sharp-pointed; keen.
* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , VII:
Incisive; penetrating.
neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.
Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.
(figuratively, of a taste or smell) Piquant, pungent.
Piercing.
(dated, mostly British) Inducing sharp physical pain.
important with regard to (a subject or matter); relevant
*
As adjectives the difference between poignant and pertinent
is that poignant is sharp-pointed; keen while pertinent is important with regard to (a subject or matter); relevant.poignant
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].
- His comments were poignant and witty.
- A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
- Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
Synonyms
* (evoking strong mental sensation) distressing, movingReferences
* OED 2nd edition 1989 * Webster Third New International 1986 ----pertinent
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- Fourthly, I have made an effort to call the attention of the reader to the pertinent literature.