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

“Foreign Tongues” pointedly concludes with Chuck Berry’s “Beautiful Delilah” as an homage of sorts to the forefathers who made the band’s existence possible in the first place.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 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

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday handed President Donald Trump a German national team football jersey in honour of his 80th birthday and the World Cup, pointedly adding "after all we're on the same team".

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

The princess glanced at the table’s other chair, then pointedly took a seat farther away, on one of the tiny beds.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Related Words

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