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
In more recent years, fleeting trends and other fashion antics sometimes sidetracked Armani, especially on the runway, where aviator hats or tricky pants — from bloomers to loose, low-crotch styles — won him barbs from critics.
—
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Trump has often traded barbs with Pritzker and current Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) over the city in recent days.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 3 Sep. 2025
Joanna Lumley’s Grandmama Hester Frump also plays an important role in the second half of Season 2, as Dort continues to court her for Nevermore donations and the three generations of Addams Family women exchange barbs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom and Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have traded barbs over which state ranks higher in key metrics this week.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barb
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Trump has often traded barbs with Pritzker and current Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) over the city in recent days.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 3 Sep. 2025
Joanna Lumley’s Grandmama Hester Frump also plays an important role in the second half of Season 2, as Dort continues to court her for Nevermore donations and the three generations of Addams Family women exchange barbs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom and Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have traded barbs over which state ranks higher in key metrics this week.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barb
Noun
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Young Thug wasn’t the only target, however, as his girlfriend, Mariah The Scientist, also caught a few shots for entertaining Thugger’s insults over the phone.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Bluesky, part of the decentralized internet, is slower paced and caters to niche interests, rewarding internecine fights over minutiae, whereas X is deliberately chaotic, encouraging the gathering of follower-armies and ideological insult-comedy for an audience that may be largely made up of bots.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Contempt often hides within sarcasm or ridicule.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Like Bong, Park has a very deadpan way with sarcasm, and the opening sequence is simply dripping with it: paper company safety executive You Man-su (Lee) is celebrating his wife’s birthday by barbecuing rare, delicious eel steaks, a gift from work to mark 25 years of service.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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