as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
delivered one last barb to his ex-girlfriend as he stalked away
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barb
Pledges of a united front fade as the booze flows and the barbs get sharper and sharper.
—
Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 June 2026
Its barbs are muddy brown with faint metallic highlights.
—Douglas Goodwin, The Conversation, 1 June 2026
Republicans and Democrats have traded barbs about who is responsible for creating circumstances that allow for fraud and who is doing more to fix it.
—Laura Geller, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Despite the barbs flying Tuesday, the Democrat AGs implied in their letter that their agencies and federal law enforcement continue to collaborate on fraud investigations.
—Andrew Graham
may 27, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 June 2026
Its barbs are muddy brown with faint metallic highlights.
—Douglas Goodwin, The Conversation, 1 June 2026
Republicans and Democrats have traded barbs about who is responsible for creating circumstances that allow for fraud and who is doing more to fix it.
—Laura Geller, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Despite the barbs flying Tuesday, the Democrat AGs implied in their letter that their agencies and federal law enforcement continue to collaborate on fraud investigations.
—Andrew Graham
may 27, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barb
Noun
-
Former Chair Jerome Powell for months was hit with insults when the Fed either didn't lower rates, or didn't lower them enough.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
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Turns out, this is a term of endearment, not an insult.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
That is said without the least bit of sarcasm.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
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The sarcasm-and-saga methodology is being applied to something that’s too thin to support it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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