pointed

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: poinʹtĭd, IPA^(key): /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

• Audio (US)

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Verb

pointed

1. simple past and past participle of point

Adjective

pointed (comparative more pointed, superlative most pointed)

1. (comparable) Sharp, barbed; not dull.

   The warrior brandished a pointed spear.

2. (comparable) Having a relevance to the matter at hand: pertinent, relevant.
3. (not comparable) In animals, having a coat pattern with points, that is, darkening of the extremities.

   The Siamese is a pointed breed of cat.

4. (comparable, of a comment or inference) Directed negatively at a person or topic.
   • 1863 February 21, “Important from Washington”, in The New York Times:

     Attention has been called to the report in a New-York paper, which has been made the subject of pointed comment […]

   • 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 June 2013:

     After a harsh police crackdown last week fueled anger and swelled protests, President Dilma Rousseff, a former guerrilla who was imprisoned under the dictatorship and has now become the target of pointed criticism herself, tried to appease dissenters by embracing their cause on Tuesday.

   • 1910 September 3, “Taft Is Not Pleased by Roosevelt Plan”, in The New York Times:

     President Taft to-day had a pointed comment for the "new nationalism" that his predecessor has been launching in the West.

5. (topology, algebraic topology, of a topological space) That has a named, but otherwise arbitrary, point (called the basepoint) that remains unchanged during subsequent discussion and is kept track of during all operations.

   The class of all pointed spaces forms a category - Top_• - with basepoint preserving continuous maps as morphisms.

Synonyms

• (sharp): pointy, sharp

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "sharp"): blunt

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• opted in, pitoned