different between poignant vs sentimental

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

Etymology

sentiment +? -al

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?nti?m?ntl?/
• Hyphenation: sen?ti?men?tal

Adjective

sentimental (comparative more sentimental, superlative most sentimental)

1. Characterized by sentiment, sentimentality or excess emotion.
   • 2007, Steven Wilson, "Normal", Porcupine Tree, Nil Recurring.

2. Derived from emotion rather than reason; of or caused by sentiment.
3. Romantic.

Quotations

• 1885: Gilbert & Sullivan, The Mikado,

  Are you in sentimental mood?

  I'll sigh with you.

• 1944: Doris Day, Sentimental Journey,

  Gonna take a Sentimental Journey,

  Gonna set my heart at ease.

  Gonna make a Sentimental Journey,

  to renew old memories.

Antonyms

• unsentimental

Derived terms

• sentimentalism
• sentimentality
• sentimentally

Translations

Anagrams

• entailments

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /s?n.ti.m?n?tal/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /sen.ti.men?tal/

Adjective

sentimental (masculine and feminine plural sentimentals)

1. sentimental

Derived terms

• sentimentalisme
• sentimentalitat
• sentimentalment

Related terms

• sentiment

Further reading

• “sentimental” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s??.ti.m??.tal/
• Homophones: sentimentale, sentimentales

Adjective

sentimental (feminine singular sentimentale, masculine plural sentimentaux, feminine plural sentimentales)

1. sentimental

Further reading

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

Galician

Adjective

sentimental m or f (plural sentimentais)

1. sentimental

Derived terms

• sentimentalidade
• sentimentalismo
• sentimentalmente

Related terms

• sentimento

Further reading

• “sentimental” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?z?ntim?n?ta?l/

Adjective

sentimental (comparative sentimentaler, superlative am sentimentalsten)

1. sentimental

Declension

Further reading

• “sentimental” in Duden online

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English sentimental, ultimately from Latin sentimentum.

Adjective

sentimental (neuter singular sentimentalt, definite singular and plural sentimentale)

1. sentimental

Antonyms

• usentimental

References

• “sentimental” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English sentimental, ultimately from Latin sentimentum.

Adjective

sentimental (neuter singular sentimentalt, definite singular and plural sentimentale)

1. sentimental

Antonyms

• usentimental

References

• “sentimental” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from French sentimental.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /s?.ti.m?.?ta?/
• Hyphenation: sen?ti?men?tal
• Rhymes: -aw

Adjective

sentimental m or f (plural sentimentais, comparable)

1. sentimental

Romanian

Etymology

From French sentimental

Adjective

sentimental m or n (feminine singular sentimental?, masculine plural sentimentali, feminine and neuter plural sentimentale)

1. sentimental

Declension

Related terms

• sentimentalism
• sentimentalitate

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sentimen?tal/, [s?n?.t?i.m?n??t?al]

Adjective

sentimental (plural sentimentales)

1. sentimental

Derived terms

• sentimentalidad
• sentimentalismo
• sentimentalmente
• valor sentimental

Related terms

• sentimiento

Further reading

• “sentimental” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.