Poignant

 WORD OF THE DAY

poignant / adjective / POY-nyunt

Definition
1a: painfully affecting the feelings
1b: piercing
1c: deeply affecting
1d: touching
1e: designed to make an impression
1f: cutting
2a: pleasurably stimulating
2b: being to the point
2c: apt
3: pungently pervasive

Examples
"Across Texas and the U.S. this year, high schools and universities scrambled to find ways to give students a meaningful graduation amid the coronavirus pandemic. There have been virtual events, drive-through ceremonies in parking lots and more traditional in-person events that took several days to ensure social distancing…. Images from those atypical ceremonies provide a poignant reminder of the ways life changed as the coronavirus spread."
— Jamie Stengle, The Associated Press, 27 Dec. 2020

"It's hard to pick apart a film that is as well-intentioned as Here Today, which earnestly wants to celebrate life, and every beautiful, tragic, poignant and surprising moment."
— Katie Walsh, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2021

Did You Know?
Poignant comes to English from French, and before that from Latin—specifically, the Latin verb pungere, meaning "to prick or sting."
Several other common English words derive from pungere, including pungent, which can refer to, among other things, a sharp odor.
The influence of pungere can also be seen in puncture, as well as punctual, which originally meant simply "of or relating to a point."
Even compunction and expunge come from this pointedly relevant Latin word.