What's the difference between acrid and poignant?

Acrid


Definition:

  • (a.) Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not, to the taste; pungent; as, acrid salts.
  • (a.) Causing heat and irritation; corrosive; as, acrid secretions.
  • (a.) Caustic; bitter; bitterly irritating; as, acrid temper, mind, writing.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Children and the elderly were urged to stay indoors and some residents who ventured out wore face masks as the acrid murk entered its third day.
  • (2) Not via muttering idiots, but upfront, with an acrid twist.
  • (3) Beijing has issued its first pollution red alert as acrid smog enveloped the Chinese capital for the second time this month.
  • (4) The acrid taste left by the election was heightened by the US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks which revealed Amano's assiduous courting of American support .
  • (5) The controversy became so acrid that in April, more than 100 prominent members of the local church took out a full-page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle asking the pope to remove Cordileone from his position for fostering “an atmosphere of division and intolerance”.
  • (6) Moscow was veiled in acrid smoke from such fires this morning as landmarks disappeared from view and commuters clutched handkerchiefs to their faces.
  • (7) As MPs inside debated the draconian economic reforms that eurozone nations and the IMF have demanded in return for the biggest bailout in history, riot police outside fired off rounds of acrid teargas to keep the crowd at bay.
  • (8) Beyond lies Kamrangir Char, a vast slum where clouds of acrid smoke from burning rubbish hide tenements packed with thin men, anxious women and grubby children with tubercular coughs.
  • (9) A thick acrid smog enveloped Moscow today as scores of fires blazed and peat bogs smouldered outside the city.
  • (10) The sun was directly overhead and the acrid smell of burning plastic stung the back of her throat.
  • (11) Bumper-to-bumper traffic, much of it stationary, the acrid steam of a thousand exhausts hanging in the cold winter air.
  • (12) Look at the garbage fire right here,” he adds, pointing toward a thick cloud of acrid smoke across the street.
  • (13) The elder sister, who is 19 and pregnant with her second child, squints but sits still in the acrid air.
  • (14) The wind carried the acrid smell of several burned vehicles across town, and most Muslims hid in their homes.
  • (15) The Finns like to have it in everything from drinks to soap and as I drank the sweet, slightly acrid concoction, Eveliina recited a Finnish saying: “If sauna, vodka and tar don’t help, the disease will kill you.” In the sauna itself, there were other treatments.
  • (16) Acrid plumes of smoke – produced by forest fires triggered by drought and other factors –are already choking cities across south-east Asia.
  • (17) Its acrid smell and particulate matter irritate the eyes, nose, and lungs and cause nausea; it is also a suspected vector for transmitting infectious materials, such as the human papilloma virus (HPV) associated with condyloma (a wartlike lesion) and cervical cancer.
  • (18) When the Guardian visited Monywa earlier this week, the air around the plant was filled with the acrid stench of sulphuric acid.
  • (19) In minutes thick, acrid smoke engulfed the house, swiftly taking the lives of six children, aged five to 13.
  • (20) Amid this sea of shacks, many constructed from corrugated iron haphazardly bolted together, piles of rubbish go uncollected and acrid water runs down unpaved dirt tracks.

Poignant


Definition:

  • (a.) Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent.
  • (a.) Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Totò was a legend in the Vesuvian city – a comedian of genius; poignant, mysterious.
  • (2) Fleeting though it may have been (he jetted off to New York this morning and is due in Toronto on Saturday), there was a poignant reason for his appearance: he was here to play a tribute set to Frankie Knuckles, the Godfather of house and one of Morales's closest friends, who died suddenly in March.
  • (3) One of the most poignant exchanges came when Tony was asked by @ juliangratton to sum up the last seven years of his life.
  • (4) The exercise yard is adorned with poignant children's paintings in response to school trips here.
  • (5) This double bind may be particularly poignant for grandparents in single mother families.
  • (6) This addition was particularly poignant as Andrew Jackson’s legacy includes the decision to sign the Indian Removal Act of 1830 , which gave the federal government power to expel Native American tribes from their land.
  • (7) This poignant letter, addressing Recep Tayyip Erdogan and written by one of the protesters in Istanbul's historic Taksim Square , was widely circulated on Turkey's social media.
  • (8) Treasure Island gives us an intense sense of place, and a poignant coming-of-age story full of moral ambiguity.
  • (9) Their songs ranged from the almost unbearably poignant ("Hand in Glove") to the frankly vulnerable ("How Soon is Now").
  • (10) The image of the France midfielder walking, head bowed, past the World Cup trophy is one of the more poignant in football history.
  • (11) The second series of BBC1’s hit drama Happy Valley ended on Tuesday night , bowing out in a wondrous blaze of confrontation, perceptive resolution and poignant revelation.
  • (12) Ed Miliband said: "This is a tragic and poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by our armed forces in serving our country with bravery and distinction."
  • (13) But the American author, already the recipient of the Man Booker International prize, the Pulitzer and the National Book award , said it was "particularly poignant for me to have gotten news of the award only a few weeks after the death of Carlos Fuentes, who received the award in 1994".
  • (14) A picture sits on each one of the chairs, decorated by poignant letters, orange flowers and gifts.
  • (15) Or perhaps we could focus on the relationship of Leia and Solo, now married, and there could be a heart-rendingly poignant study of their elderly existence together, rather like Michael Haneke's Amour , but set in space.
  • (16) Dern, all windblown white hair and stubble, is often entirely silent and withdrawn, and all the more compelling and poignant for that.
  • (17) On the basis of this limited but poignant experience, we propose an outline of steps in management to help others avoid similar problems.
  • (18) Yet the narratives in Benefits Street have a human and poignant quality, often presenting decent and compassionate people disenfranchised by an unfair society.
  • (19) Sandy Nairne, director of the NPG, said: "The Van Dyck self-portrait is a poignant portrait of great significance.
  • (20) It was poignant, afterwards, to hear Martínez try to put the human element into some perspective.