finger-pointing

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

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 What unfolds is a finger-pointing game of Who’s Behaved Worse? Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025 Cellphone bill flop prompts finger-pointing Hall seized on the vote breakdown as an example of Democratic lawmakers out of step with Whitmer and out of touch with public support for cellphone restrictions at school. Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025 That's why the partisan finger-pointing rings hollow. Darvio Morrow, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025 Heath’s approach creates the difference between finger-pointing and constructive, necessary criticism. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for finger-pointing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finger-pointing
Noun
  • Barely a week after his death, however, those same supporters were grappling with conflicting narratives about his changing stance on Israel—and trading accusations that mirror a wider debate on whether dissenting views are being silenced.
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Lizzo, Jimmy Fallon and Kelly Clarkson, who faced similar accusations that their tours and shows were toxic environments, have weathered the fallout.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Following the tragic death of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the line between eulogy and blame wore swiftly and predictably thin.
    Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Some of the blame for how far things have gotten rests on us.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Multiple investigations found that IRS officials used political keywords to flag right-leaning groups, sparking national outrage and condemnation.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
  • In 2019, when a missile and drone strike on Saudi oil facilities – widely blamed on Iran – knocked out half the kingdom’s oil output and sent crude prices skyrocketing, his administration responded with only muted condemnation.
    Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Such comparisons are too easily drawn, with too much self-righteousness, as though the guilt for what was done to the Jews could be lightened just a little by likening them to their own murderers.
    Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Not the president making those decisions, who has neither the education nor the experience to judge whether there are facts sufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt under a statute in this country.
    ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • That includes issuing a public censure, or a recommendation to the council that Kimbrough be censured by that body as well.
    Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Sep. 2025
  • This California congressman joins three other Republicans in opposing Omar censure via David Lightman.
    David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Finger-pointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finger-pointing. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.

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