pointy
Americanadjective
-
pointier,
comparative
-
pointiest
superlative
adjective
Other Word Forms
Adjective Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pointy
Explanation
Anything that's pointy has a sharp, tapered end, like a pair of high-heeled shoes with uncomfortably pointy toes. Some pointy things are sharp enough to be dangerous, like kitchen knives, swords, and daggers, all of which taper to an extremely pointy tip. But plenty of objects you'd also describe as pointy aren't quite so treacherous, from your cat's pointy ears to your sister's witch hat she wears every year on Halloween. Pointy is from the Latin pungere, "to pierce." In the 20th century, calling an overly intellectual person "pointy-headed" was a common insult.
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:
Last week, we reported on a pointy desert plant that could make toilet paper softer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They’re also huge — females can exceed 800 pounds and males 1,500 or more — with pointy horns and protective instincts, especially around the young.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
They came of age when Orlando Bloom’s Legolas, kitted out in a blond wig, armor and prosthetic pointy ears, was a teen heartthrob.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
A small, goggle-eyed creature with pointy ears and a mouthful of jagged teeth has somehow become one of the defining consumer products this decade.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
“And mine’s got wee feet and a wee pointy beak,” Florida said.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
Since pointier wings indicate stronger flying and dispersal abilities, the team predicted such birds would be better equipped to respond to environmental pressures than those with rounder wings.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024
The Bigg’s — named for the late Canadian whale scientist Michael Bigg — have a pointier dorsal, a more solid white saddle patch, and tend to move in smaller packs.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
Coyotes, for example, have pointier snouts and longer ears.
From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
Rickshaws also have a distinct appearance—a classic autorickshaw, for instance, is yellow and green—and Amazon’s rickshaws look, well, like pointier versions of the sleek gray Amazon vans.
From Slate ● Jan. 24, 2020
She pierced her mound of hair with the pointier end of the hairpin.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
In fact, only the very pointiest decoy, the eight-sided die shape, got pushed out almost every time.
From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2021
“Put animals in a small, closed space, and the one with the sharpest nails, the pointiest teeth wins.”
From New York Times ● Jul. 16, 2018
They're a linguistic tag-team, riffing off each other's answers and competing to make the pointiest barb.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2017
In broadcasting, it is not necessarily the sharpest wit but the pointiest elbow that often gets the prize.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
