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
There are no spools of barbed wire atop its fences or looming guard towers to announce its purpose.
—
Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
The pair have traded many barbed comments since Khan was elected to lead London in 2016 — Khan strongly criticized the president the same year for pledging a travel ban on a number of majority-Muslim countries, which was enacted in 2017.
—Patrick Smith, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
Protests outside the Broadview facility continued midday Friday, with a handful of demonstrators holding up signs and cellphones toward a fence topped with barbed wire, video from the scene shows.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
These tools are thin, flimsy, and built with barbed notches on the side that are used to grabbing hair and break through soap scum or other debris to remove them from your drain.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbed
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Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
The pair have traded many barbed comments since Khan was elected to lead London in 2016 — Khan strongly criticized the president the same year for pledging a travel ban on a number of majority-Muslim countries, which was enacted in 2017.
—Patrick Smith, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
Protests outside the Broadview facility continued midday Friday, with a handful of demonstrators holding up signs and cellphones toward a fence topped with barbed wire, video from the scene shows.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
These tools are thin, flimsy, and built with barbed notches on the side that are used to grabbing hair and break through soap scum or other debris to remove them from your drain.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 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 8 Oct. 2025.
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