as in offence
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the brickbats were flying the night that those two bitchy divas were seated at the same table
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Recent Examples of brickbat
India has faced brickbats for not testing enough despite the emphasis laid by the World Health Organisation.
—
Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 22 Mar. 2020
His popularity has survived brickbats and thrived despite personal woes.
—Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2020
Mr Johnson is hyper-sensitive to the brickbats of the liberal elite into which he was born, and sulked after the referendum when his neighbours in Islington turned against him.
—Boris Johnson, The Economist, 4 July 2019
The task has made him a target of brickbats from some elements of the Republican party, including President Trump, who see the Mueller investigation as tainted by political bias.
—Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018
Lenny, who was accustomed to brickbats, picked himself up and kept his conducting dates, but Jamie believes that Felicia, suffering from public humiliation, was never the same.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 16 June 2018
Years of critical brickbats toughened Albee’s already tough hide and taught him to trust only himself.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018
Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 22 Mar. 2020
His popularity has survived brickbats and thrived despite personal woes.
—Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2020
Mr Johnson is hyper-sensitive to the brickbats of the liberal elite into which he was born, and sulked after the referendum when his neighbours in Islington turned against him.
—Boris Johnson, The Economist, 4 July 2019
The task has made him a target of brickbats from some elements of the Republican party, including President Trump, who see the Mueller investigation as tainted by political bias.
—Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018
Lenny, who was accustomed to brickbats, picked himself up and kept his conducting dates, but Jamie believes that Felicia, suffering from public humiliation, was never the same.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 16 June 2018
Years of critical brickbats toughened Albee’s already tough hide and taught him to trust only himself.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brickbat
Noun
-
Carter was sitting in her chair, listening to a lesson, when Octavius Johnson, a classmate who had a crush on her, started to fire off insults.—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Politico counted 251 instances of derogatory insults in the group chat, interspersed with logistical conversations about social media strategies and collecting votes.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While the track leans toward sarcasm, the soon-to-be-anthem perfectly captures a generational sentiment.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The sarcasm has passed down generations.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The footage sparked outrage and dismay across Israel.—
Itay Stern,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
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Swart also blamed major social-media platforms for monetizing outrage and accelerating polarization.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brickbat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brickbat. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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