Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

pointillistic

American  
[pwan-tl-is-tik, -tee-is-, poin-tl-is-] / ˌpwæn tlˈɪs tɪk, -tiˈɪs-, ˌpɔɪn tlˈɪs- /

adjective

  1. pertaining to or characteristic of pointillism or pointillists.

  2. made up of or using minute details; particularized; itemized.

    a pointillistic style of acting.


Etymology

Origin of pointillistic

1920–25; < French pointilliste ( see pointillism, -ist) + -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Depending on the conditions, there’s the opportunity to see brilliantly colored stars, pointillistic star clusters, diaphanous nebulae and other galaxies.

From Washington Post Feb. 28, 2022

Perhaps recalling Seurat’s pointillistic technique, he writes in a preface to “Flying Over Sunset” that his script “connects the dots” of known history.

From New York Times Dec. 13, 2021

Dweck and Kershaw, both cinematographers, film the truffle hunters - aging, sweet men practicing an ancient and secretive tradition - in painterly, pointillistic tableaux as they walk through autumnal forests, foraging with their dogs.

From Washington Times Mar. 3, 2021

Some of Lévy’s work on “Hyperion”—like the album’s bright, pointillistic, eponymous opener—seems like an explicit homage to his German forebears, whose work can often be found in major art museums.

From The New Yorker Mar. 18, 2019

They dealt in knickknacks, and their trivialities were as far from creating a unified impression as were the pointillistic puzzles of modern painters and the word hashes cooked up by the decadent poets.

From Là-bas by Keene Wallace

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training