as in accusation
the act of blaming someone for a problem instead of trying to fix or solve it
Engaging in finger-pointing will not help us solve the problem. There was no shortage of finger-pointing among executives after the movie bombed at the box office.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of finger-pointing
Lawmakers used their speeches to condemn growing antisemitism in the country and honor a Nuremberg trials prosecutor with the Congressional Gold Medal, avoiding partisan finger-pointing.
—
Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2026
But how does finger-pointing help Massachusetts constituents?
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Agreed, but this bill substitutes the long, painstaking and complex work of fixing California’s troubled insurance market with finger-pointing and posturing.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026
The succession of events that followed — full of paranoia and finger-pointing — has consumed the American right.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finger-pointing
Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2026
But how does finger-pointing help Massachusetts constituents?
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Agreed, but this bill substitutes the long, painstaking and complex work of fixing California’s troubled insurance market with finger-pointing and posturing.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026
The succession of events that followed — full of paranoia and finger-pointing — has consumed the American right.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finger-pointing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finger-pointing
Noun
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Three months later, Moreno-Gama was arrested on accusations of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s house, then driving to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters with a jug of kerosene and threatening to burn the building down and kill anyone inside.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
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Former officers described courts issuing release orders that intelligence officials ignored with impunity, prosecutors pursuing cases without evidence and security agencies using prolonged detention, torture and public accusations to impose political obedience.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
Noun
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Most accounts of the era blame greed—a new ethic of cupidity that displaced whatever youthful idealism remained from the 1960s.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
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Silina cast blame on Defense Minister Andris Spruds and fired him on Sunday.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The country’s recent bombardment of Lebanon, killing thousands in response to Hezbollah strikes launched after joint US-Israeli strikes assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also drawn widespread condemnation internationally.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
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Bowie’s back-to-back conflicts with legislative aides have drawn quiet condemnation from some City Hall staff, who have questioned her handling of sensitive workplace situations while celebrating women, diversity and public service.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Mayhew told me that he was still haunted by guilt.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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By Roger Cohen The guilt of my teenage conviction haunted me for decades.—
Chris Pomorski Roger Cohen Reginald Dwayne Betts David Marchese David Wallace-Wells Parul Sehgal Nitsuh Abebe Kim Hew-Low Kwame Anthony Appiah John Hodgman,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
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The reprimand from the committee, which stops short of a censure from the entire House, is a rare disciplinary action for a member.—
Gray Rohrer,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
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The two other Republican candidates who were nearly disqualified earlier this week, Russ Wojtkiewicz and Gena Ross, were not included in the censure.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finger-pointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finger-pointing. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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