1
: having barbs
2
: characterized by pointed and biting criticism or sarcasm
barbed witticisms
Examples of barbed in a Sentence
The candidates exchanged barbed comments during the debate.
barbed satire on American academia
Recent Examples on the Web
The group of inmates escaped by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole in the wall behind it and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours.
—
CBS News, 27 June 2025
Louisiana Attorney General's Office via AP The group of inmates escaped by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours when a lone guard left to get food.
—CBS News, 9 June 2025
Washington, of course, knows all of this and has responded with barbed words.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Sabu was considered a pioneer of the hardcore wrestling genre, which often included matches featuring a significant amount of blood spilled from its performers, who calculatedly used everything from barbed wire to sheets of glass to fight on another.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbed
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CBS News, 27 June 2025
Louisiana Attorney General's Office via AP The group of inmates escaped by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours when a lone guard left to get food.
—CBS News, 9 June 2025
Washington, of course, knows all of this and has responded with barbed words.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Sabu was considered a pioneer of the hardcore wrestling genre, which often included matches featuring a significant amount of blood spilled from its performers, who calculatedly used everything from barbed wire to sheets of glass to fight on another.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbed
Cite this Entry
“Barbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbed. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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