Meaning & use

finger-pointing

noun·Everyday

The act of blaming other people for a problem instead of accepting responsibility.

See it in a sentence

After the project failed, there was a lot of finger-pointing between the marketing and design teams.

Instead of finger-pointing, the manager asked everyone to focus on fixing the actual error.

A note on using this word

Finger-pointing is almost always used disapprovingly, suggesting an unproductive argument about who is at fault rather than a search for solutions.

Words with a similar meaning

blamingscapegoating

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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