Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

pointy-headed

American  
[poin-tee-hed-id] / ˈpɔɪn tiˌhɛd ɪd /

adjective

Slang: Usually Disparaging.
  1. stupid; idiotic.

  2. intellectual, especially in a self-important or impractical way.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of pointy-headed

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75

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.

This was especially true after single-camera half-hours seized all the critical attention while reliable multi-cams did their thing without the benefit of pointy-headed celebration.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025

To baldly paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes, three generations of pointy-headed lawyers is enough.

From Slate • Aug. 7, 2024

With his tiny head and rumpled feathers, Tuffy appeared like an ungroomed, pointy-headed bichon frisé next to Lola, who seemed more Rottweiler.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2023

Jim Crow was defeated in the courts, not at the polls — as it happens, by pointy-headed civil rights lawyers.

From Washington Post • Jun. 12, 2017

But, as Mrs. Hughes says, enough with the pointy-headed philosophizing.

From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2016

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "pointy-headed" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com