as in satiric
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
barbed satire on American academia
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barbed
Then there was an ice bath and an obstacle course scattered with barbed wire and nails.
—
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Page used barbed wire wrapped around a chair to bust MJF open and hit a Deadeye through a table.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Have Faith Haiti, with its 30-foot-tall walls, barbed wire and guard towers, looks like a prison from the outside.
—Denise Schrier Cetta, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The release put out by the White House is on the heels of barbed posts by top aide Cheung and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt against CNN and several other outlets.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barbed
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Page used barbed wire wrapped around a chair to bust MJF open and hit a Deadeye through a table.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Have Faith Haiti, with its 30-foot-tall walls, barbed wire and guard towers, looks like a prison from the outside.
—Denise Schrier Cetta, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The release put out by the White House is on the heels of barbed posts by top aide Cheung and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt against CNN and several other outlets.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barbed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbed
Adjective
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Smith’s play falls into the rom-com subgenre of screwball comedy, a satirical take on romance that was popular from the 1930s through the 1950s.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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While the show featured many of the same characters, its format strayed from the sci-fi space narrative of Spaceballs and instead was a series of parodies, each episode serving as a satirical commentary on several contemporary hits, such as Lord of the Rings, American Idol and Harry Potter.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Peters then offered a sarcastic parting line and left the set.—
Ryan Brennan
April 15,
Miami Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
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By contrast, Lillian’s counterpart and best friend is cast member and former standup comedian Gina Ross, a sarcastic, iconoclastic, in-your-face performer.—
Lee Kelly,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The pesto and plum tomatoes add that fresh, slightly acidic taste to the tender rotisserie chicken.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
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Having set Coel’s grudge-nurturing immovable object and Hathaway’s in-crisis irresistible force on a collision course, the film proceeds to let the former batter the latter with a mix of acidic banter, passive-aggressive comments masked as curiosity, and compli-sults that cut bone.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In the ensuite bathroom, the dialogue between contemporary terracotta surfaces and acid green resin results in a surprisingly cozy atmosphere.—
Ludovica Stevan,
Architectural Digest,
5 Apr. 2026
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Plants like blueberries, roses, tomatoes, hydrangeas, and azaleas, in particular, are acid and nitrogen lovers.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Much like the days getting longer and the air less biting, a sure harbinger that spring is coming is the 33rd annual West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Naperville.—
Annie Alleman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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As the nation bonded as one over the past two weeks biting nails, screaming at wins, wincing at crashes and choking up at all the beautiful moments of Olympic competition, another group of athletes were – and still are – out honing their multi-level championship skills.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbed. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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