Definitions for: Poignancy

[n] a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow); "the film captured all the pathos of their situation"
[n] a state of deeply felt distress or sorrow; "a moment of extraordinary poignancy"

Webster (1913) Definition: Poign"an*cy, n.
The quality or state of being poignant; as, the poignancy of
satire; the poignancy of grief. --Swift.

Synonyms: pathos, poignance

See Also: quality, sadness, sorrow, sorrowfulness