Poignant vs. Pointed — What's the Difference?

Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret

Having an end coming to a point.

Arousing deep emotion, especially pity or sorrow; touching

Sharp; cutting

Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings

Obviously directed at or making reference to a particular person or thing

Physically painful

Clearly evident or conspicuous; marked

Piercing; incisive

Characterized by the use of a pointed crown, as in Gothic architecture

Agreeably intense or stimulating

Having a rough finish produced by a pointed tool. Used of masonry.

Sharp or sour to the taste; piquant.

Simple past tense and past participle of point

Sharp or pungent to the smell.

(comparable) Sharp, barbed; not dull.

Sharp-pointed; keen.

(comparable) Having a relevance to the matter at hand: pertinent, relevant.

Neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.

(not comparable) In animals, having a coat pattern with points, that is, darkening of the extremities.

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

Directed negatively at a person or topic.

Piquant, pungent.

That has a named, but otherwise arbitrary, point (called the basepoint) that remains unchanged during subsequent discussion and is kept track of during all operations.

Incisive; penetrating; piercing.

Sharp; having a sharp point; as, a pointed rock.

Inducing sharp physical pain.

Characterized by sharpness, directness, or pithiness of expression; terse; epigrammatic; especially, directed to a particular person or thing.

Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent.

Having a point

Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.

Direct and obvious in meaning or reference; often unpleasant;

Arousing affect;

Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings;