pointedly

American  

[poin-tid-lee] / ˈpɔɪn tɪd li /

adverb

1. in a marked, emphasized, or particularly directed fashion.

   Many media outlets are reporting on the incident—but pointedly avoiding showing the images at the center of the story.

   When a conference was convened to discuss a policy of settling environmental battles through negotiation, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance pointedly was not invited.

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Etymology

Origin of pointedly

pointed ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pointedly

When the possessive and paranoid Frank Ford runs into Margaret as she’s scurrying to meet his wife, Alice, he pointedly remarks, “I think, if your husbands were dead, you two would marry.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

What’s most depressing about all these stories is that they pointedly highlight the problem with contemporary American media.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Let’s break down what we know—and, more pointedly, don’t—about McConnell’s condition, then get into the broader issue of lawmakers not being straight about their health.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

He pointedly said every cabinet minister, every government department, had contributed cuts to their long-term, so-called capital budgets, to provide more for defence.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

“You,” he says slowly, pointedly, pressing the word deep into my skin.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

• categorically
• clearly
• correctly
• definitely
• especially
• exactly
• explicitly
• individually
• precisely
• respectively
• specially