Ask Difference

Melancholy vs. Poignant — What's the Difference?

Melancholy vs. Poignant — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Melancholy and Poignant

ADVERTISEMENT

Compare with 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.
ADVERTISEMENT

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.

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

Share Your Discovery

Share via Social Media
Embed This Content
Embed Code
Share Directly via Messenger
Link
Previous Comparison
Naga vs. Lamia
Next Comparison
Niche vs. Nook

Popular Comparisons

Trending Comparisons

New Comparisons

Trending Terms