different between poignant vs sarcastic

English

Etymology

From Middle English poynaunt, poynant, borrowed from Anglo-Norman puignant, poynaunt etc., present participle of poindre (“to prick”), from Latin pung? (“prick”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??n.j?nt/, /?p???.?nt/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /?p??.n?nt/
• Hyphenation: poign?ant (per American Heritage and Random House); poi?gnant (per Merriam-Webster)

Adjective

poignant (comparative more poignant, superlative most poignant)

1. (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 [...].

2. Neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.

3. Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.

   Synonyms: distressing, moving
4. (figuratively, of a smell, taste) Piquant, pungent.
5. (figuratively, of a look, word) Incisive; penetrating; piercing.

6. (chiefly Britain, dated) Inducing sharp physical pain.

Related terms

• poignancy
• poignantly

Translations

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989
• Webster Third New International 1986

Anagrams

• Paignton

French

Etymology

From Old French poignant, present participle of poindre. Possibly corresponds to Latin pung?ns, pungentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pwa.???/

Verb

poignant

1. present participle of poindre
2. present participle of poigner

Adjective

poignant (feminine singular poignante, masculine plural poignants, feminine plural poignantes)

1. poignant

References

Further reading

• “poignant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Etymology

Present participle of poindre. Possibly corresponds to Latin pung?ns, pungentem.

Verb

poignant

1. present participle of poindre

Adjective

poignant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular poignant or poignante)

1. pointed; pointy

Descendants

• ? English: poignant
• French: poignant

English

Alternative forms

• sarcastick (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /s???kæstik/
• (US) IPA^(key): /s???kæstik/

  Rhymes: -æst?k

Adjective

sarcastic (comparative more sarcastic, superlative most sarcastic)

1. Containing sarcasm.

   a sarcastic quip; the teacher's sarcastic tone

2. (of a person) Having the personality trait of expressing sarcasm.
   • 1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl

     Her eyes slanted a little... and were sometimes full of fiery determination and sometimes dull and opaque. Her expression was never altogether amiable; was often, indeed, distinctly sullen, or, when she was animated, sarcastic.

Synonyms

• sarky (British)
• snarky

Derived terms

• sarky

Translations

See also

• ironic
• sardonic
• snide

References

• “sarcastic” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "sarcastic" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
• “sarcastic”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)

Romanian

Etymology

French sarcastique

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sar?kastik]

Adjective

sarcastic m or n (feminine singular sarcastic?, masculine plural sarcastici, feminine and neuter plural sarcastice)

1. sarcastic

Declension

Synonyms

• caustic

Adverb

sarcastic

1. sarcastically

Related terms

• sarcasm