pointillism

American  

[pwan-tl-iz-uhm, -tee-iz-, poin-tl-iz-] / ˈpwæn tlˌɪz əm, -tiˌɪz-, ˈpɔɪn tlˌɪz- /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a theory and technique developed by the neo-impressionists, based on the principle that juxtaposed dots of pure color, as blue and yellow, are optically mixed into the resulting hue, as green, by the viewer.

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pointillism British  

/ -tiːˌɪzəm, ˈpwæntɪˌlɪzəm, ˈpɔɪn- /

noun

1. Also called: divisionism.  the technique of painting elaborated from impressionism, in which dots of unmixed colour are juxtaposed on a white ground so that from a distance they fuse in the viewer's eye into appropriate intermediate tones

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Other Word Forms

• pointillist noun

Etymology

Origin of pointillism

1900–05; < French pointillisme, equivalent to pointill ( er ) to mark with points + -isme -ism

Explanation

The school of painting known as pointillism was a popular spin-off of Impressionism in the late 1800's. One well-known master of pointillism was Georges Seurat. This school of painters seems to have gotten a head start on the pixel by 100 years! Their technique of painting consists of tiny dots of pure color that, when viewed from a distance, coalesce to give an impression not too far off what actually hits the eye in nature. In French, the diminutive plural of point is pointilles, or tiny dots, and the verb pointiller means "to cover with small dots."

Example Sentences

The fact that it was a parlor game, not pointillism, that inspired the lyric is proof of Sondheim’s credo that “playful doesn’t mean trivial any more than solemn means serious.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

In “Colors of Summer,” Stream captures the avian residents of our region with pointillism and symbolism, drawing on his Sun’Aq Aleut ancestry.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2021

This approach amounts to a sort of historical pointillism, bringing the manic, skittering mood of the era into focus.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2020

Policy pointillism didn’t create a persuasive overall portrait.

From Washington Post • Apr. 2, 2019

The crowds by the rails thickened, their faces a pointillism of colors, the dappling sound of distinct voices now blending into a sustained shout.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand