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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of finger-pointing
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
Advertisement Success requires shared accountability When autonomous systems fail, responsibility cannot be unclear or allow endless finger-pointing.
—Laura Kavanagh, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finger-pointing
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
Advertisement Success requires shared accountability When autonomous systems fail, responsibility cannot be unclear or allow endless finger-pointing.
—Laura Kavanagh, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finger-pointing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finger-pointing
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
About eight in 10 respondents said gas prices are straining their household budgets, and 63% blame Trump for that increase given the war with Iran.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
9 May 2026
-
Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a truce that was supposed to begin on May 6, but neither of them held as the parties traded blame for continuing attacks.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
The convent demolition also came days after images of an Israeli soldier wielding an ax against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in the village of Debel sparked widespread condemnation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
After condemnation poured in from business chambers, the Catholic Church and politicians across the spectrum, Milei’s Cabinet chief announced the decision to reverse the ban.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The judge also made clear the scope of a preliminary hearing is limited, focused on whether prosecutors can establish probable cause, not determining guilt or innocence, but said the defense still needs sufficient time to prepare given the volume of material.—
Adam Sabes , Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
The guilt swells and swells while the sweater sits and sits.—
Liana Satenstein,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The censure appears to be the first in recent memory at Judson ISD.—
Noah Alcala Bach,
San Antonio Express-News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finger-pointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finger-pointing. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
