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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Recent Examples of barb
The two candidates also traded barbs about Raman’s late entry into the race, and the fact that the two were at one point political allies.
—
Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The camaraderie expressed Thursday was a far cry from the barbs the two officials exchanged just more than a year ago, when Clark, at City Council hearing, blasted Tisch over the NYPD’s crackdown on the homeless and those accused of misdemeanor crimes.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk’s lawsuit against Altman is the culmination of a yearslong feud that has sometimes led the two former associates to trade public barbs online.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
DeSantis and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have traded barbs in recent days over the issue.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The camaraderie expressed Thursday was a far cry from the barbs the two officials exchanged just more than a year ago, when Clark, at City Council hearing, blasted Tisch over the NYPD’s crackdown on the homeless and those accused of misdemeanor crimes.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk’s lawsuit against Altman is the culmination of a yearslong feud that has sometimes led the two former associates to trade public barbs online.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
DeSantis and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have traded barbs in recent days over the issue.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barb
Noun
-
When Azik tries to rid himself of the stigma, calling someone else weak as if to offload the physical weight of the insult, a startling act of violence occurs.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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Sometimes, there’s no better way to pay tribute to a dear friend than by lambasting them with insults.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Noun
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So, does Aaron Boone make anything of the fact that his Yankees can only beat up on bad teams (please note the sarcasm)?—
Gary Phillips,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
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Yet even in that apparent act of accountability, the sarcasm never fully disappeared.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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