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The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

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<strong>of</strong>f duty.<br />

poignant adj. 1 distressing, upsetting, agonizing, grievous, painful,<br />

woeful, melancholy, blue, sad, sorrowful, tragic, disastrous,<br />

heart-rending, heart-breaking, excruciating, bitter, pathetic,<br />

pitiable, piteous, pitiful, miserable, moving, touching: <strong>The</strong><br />

biography also covers the poignant early years, spent largely in<br />

orphanages and foster homes. 2 keen, acute, intense, incisive,<br />

sharp, stinging, pointed, piercing, penetrating, barbed,<br />

cutting, caustic, acid, acerbic, bitter, biting, mordant,<br />

sarcastic, sardonic, severe: <strong>The</strong> headmaster's poignant remarks<br />

about honesty and loyalty really hurt. 3 sincere, earnest,<br />

heartfelt, deep, pr<strong>of</strong>ound, dramatic, deeply felt, stirring,<br />

moving, touching, emotional: <strong>The</strong> reunion <strong>of</strong> the little boy and<br />

his dog was the most poignant moment in the film.<br />

point n. 1 dot, mark, speck; (full) stop, period; decimal point: <strong>The</strong><br />

writing is smudged, but that looks like a point at the end <strong>of</strong><br />

the line. 2 tip, peak, apex, spike, spur, prong, sharp end: Be<br />

careful <strong>of</strong> the point <strong>of</strong> that knife. 3 spot, place, stage,<br />

position; site, station, location, locale: We have reached the<br />

point <strong>of</strong> no return on that subject. I stopped at a few points<br />

along the way to admire the view. 4 time, moment, instant,<br />

juncture: At that point, we were summoned by the dinner bell.<br />

5 focus, essence, meat, pith, quiddity, substance, heart,<br />

nucleus, crux, nub, core, bottom, details, Colloq guts,<br />

nitty-gritty: I wish he would stop all the palaver and get to<br />

the point. 6 purpose, intent, intention, aim, goal, object,<br />

objective, sense: What was the point <strong>of</strong> bringing that piece <strong>of</strong><br />

gossip into the discussion? 7 thrust, drift, theme, purport,<br />

burden, import, implication, significance, signification, sense,<br />

meaning; application, applicability, relevancy, appropriateness:<br />

We found it difficult to see the point <strong>of</strong> the argument. 8<br />

promontory, projection, headland, cape, peninsula: It may take<br />

us a day to sail round the point. 9 brink, verge: We were on<br />

the point <strong>of</strong> leaving when the guest <strong>of</strong> honour finally arrived.<br />

10 detail, particular, item, element, nicety, aspect, facet,<br />

matter, issue, subject, question; specifics: Some <strong>of</strong> the points<br />

in her speech need clarification. 11 pointer, hint, suggestion,<br />

piece <strong>of</strong> advice, tip: <strong>The</strong> golf pro at the club gave me some<br />

good points on improving my swing. 12 thought, idea,<br />

consideration; notion, view, plan, tactic; something: That's a<br />

point to keep in mind if you buy another sailing-boat. 13 unit,

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