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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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In recent weeks, Avila Chevalier has been under a microscope for her past tweets, including posts calling for defunding the police and abolishing the border, alongside harsh insults of big-name Democrats such as former Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Michael Lind, the writer and New America co-founder, argues in Commonplace, the magazine of Oren Cass’s American Compass, that a decent wage and a safety net should be enough, and that handing workers a stake in capital insults the dignity of their labor.
Noun
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Meanwhile, sitcoms like Friends marked a movement toward irony in comedy with its trademark tongue-in-cheek banter and sarcasm, Thompson explains.
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That is said without the least bit of sarcasm.
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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