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.

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Etymology

Origin of pointillistic

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

Example Sentences

There’s pointillistic syncopation from marimba, glockenspiel and pizzicato strings, with a backdrop of sustained chords: the ticktock of everyday minutiae held together by the promise of constancy.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2022

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

This pointillistic style allows Lisicky to build his story impressionistically.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2020

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 Wallace, Keene