Melancholy vs. Poignant — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Melancholy and Poignant
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Definitions
Melancholy
A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause
He had an ability to convey a sense of deep melancholy and yearning through much of his work
An air of melancholy surrounded him
At the centre of his music lies a profound melancholy and nostalgia
Poignant
Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret
A poignant reminder of the passing of time
Melancholy
Having a feeling of melancholy; sad and pensive
She felt a little melancholy
A dark, melancholy young man with deep-set eyes
Poignant
Arousing deep emotion, especially pity or sorrow; touching
A poignant memory.
A poignant story.
Melancholy
Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom.
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Poignant
Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings
Poignant anxiety.
Melancholy
Pensive reflection or contemplation.
Poignant
Physically painful
"Keen, poignant agonies seemed to shoot from his neck downward" (Ambrose Bierce).
Melancholy
Black bile.
Poignant
Piercing; incisive
Poignant criticism.
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Melancholy
An emotional state characterized by sullenness and outbreaks of violent anger, believed to arise from an excess of black bile.
Poignant
Agreeably intense or stimulating
"It was a poignant delight to breathe the keen air" (Joseph A. Altsheler).
Melancholy
Feeling, showing, or expressing depression of the spirits; sad or dejected.
Poignant
Sharp or sour to the taste; piquant.
Melancholy
Causing or tending to cause sadness or gloom
A letter with some melancholy news.
Poignant
Sharp or pungent to the smell.
Melancholy
Pensive; thoughtful.
Poignant
Sharp-pointed; keen.
Melancholy
(historical) Black bile, formerly thought to be one of the four "cardinal humours" of animal bodies.
Poignant
Neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.
A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
Melancholy
Great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
Poignant
Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.
Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
Melancholy
(literary) Affected with great sadness or depression.
Melancholy people don't talk much.
Poignant
Piquant, pungent.
Melancholy
Depression of spirits; a gloomy state continuing a considerable time; deep dejection; gloominess.
Poignant
Incisive; penetrating; piercing.
His comments were poignant and witty.
Melancholy
Great and continued depression of spirits, amounting to mental unsoundness; melancholia.
Poignant
Inducing sharp physical pain.
Melancholy
Pensive maditation; serious thoughtfulness.
Poignant
Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent.
Melancholy
Ill nature.
Poignant
Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.
His wit . . . became more lively and poignant.
Melancholy
Depressed in spirits; dejected; gloomy dismal.
Poignant
Arousing affect;
The homecoming of the released hostages was an affecting scene
Poignant grief cannot endure forever
His gratitude was simple and touching
Melancholy
Producing great evil and grief; causing dejection; calamitous; afflictive; as, a melancholy event.
Poignant
Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings;
Poignant anxiety
Melancholy
Somewhat deranged in mind; having the jugment impaired.
Melancholy
Favorable to meditation; somber.
A pretty, melancholy seat, well wooded and watered.
Melancholy
A feeling of thoughtful sadness
Melancholy
A constitutional tendency to be gloomy and depressed
Melancholy
A humor that was once believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause sadness and melancholy
Melancholy
Characterized by or causing or expressing sadness;
Growing more melancholy every hour
Her melancholic smile
We acquainted him with the melancholy truth
