finger-pointing

noun

fin·​ger-point·​ing ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌpȯin-tiŋ 

: the act of making explicit and often unfair accusations of blame

The finger-pointing began in the loser's campaign headquarters immediately after the election.

Examples of finger-pointing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The revelation ignited a new round of finger-pointing and accusations inside an already combative primary. —Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

But if Kraft gets announced next week as a Hall of Fame inductee, the howling and finger-pointing will take over the remaining hours in the run-up to his Patriots playing the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. —Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026

If fewer solution providers are involved in building the infrastructure and keeping the software up to date, there will be less finger-pointing when things inevitably go wrong. —Steve Banker, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026

There was finger-pointing between the county and state at the time, but what is clear is that the county never communicated with immigration officials. —Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for finger-pointing

• disappointing
• anointing
• appointing
• pinpointing
• jointing
• pointing