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Shrewd vs Poignant - What's the difference?

shrewd | poignant | Related terms |

Shrewd is a related term of poignant.


As adjectives the difference between shrewd and poignant

is that shrewd is showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters while poignant is (obsolete|of a weapon etc) sharp-pointed; keen.

shrewd

English

Adjective

(er)
  • showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters
  • artful, tricky or cunning
  • streetwise
  • *
  • knowledgeable
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=November 10 , author=Jeremy Wilson , title=tEngland Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report , work=Telegraph citation , page= , passage=The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott. }}
  • (archaic) Scolding, satirical, sharp.
  • * 1599 ,
  • LEONATO. By my troth, niece, thou wilt never get thee a husband, if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue.

    Derived terms

    * shrewdly * shrewdness

    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

    References

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