Poignant describes something that touches your heart with a mixture of sadness and beauty, leaving you feeling both moved and a little melancholy. When you watch the final scene of a movie where a beloved character says goodbye, that bittersweet feeling in your chest is poignance. When you find an old photo of your grandmother as a young girl, smiling in a way you recognize but have never seen before, that tender ache is poignant.

The word often describes moments that make you feel the passage of time or the fragility of life, but in a meaningful rather than depressing way. A poignant story might make you cry thoughtful tears that come from being moved by something beautiful and sad at once. Reading Charlotte's Web is poignant because Charlotte's friendship with Wilbur is so beautiful, even though her death makes us sad.

Poignant moments stick with us precisely because they touch something real and important. The last day of summer camp can be poignant: you're happy about the memories you made, but sad that this particular time is ending. A poignant speech at a graduation celebrates achievement while acknowledging that friends will soon scatter in different directions.