as in insults
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 barbs
And while the performances and the writing are still spackled with amusing barbs and observations about some of the grossest people in American life, The Audacity is missing a crucial forward momentum.
—
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The barbs that President Barack Obama and Seth Meyers hurled at him created a political narrative that persists.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Rather than bruising the Italian leader, the barbs have appear to have won her support at home, even uniting those who vehemently oppose and criticize her.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
After the San Antonio Spurs ruled out Victor Wembanyama for the second half of Tuesday night’s playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a head injury, the companies traded barbs on social media.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2026
There has been a fierce legal battle, dueling memoirs, and sharp barbs in the press.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
The script, written by Lowery, is filled with aphoristic barbs, especially from Sam.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
Those vibe-y details are also easy to clip for a fan cam, and seem to distract many of today’s weirdest guys from being able to see the film’s satirical barbs.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
Allen’s barbs about other female musicians on the title track were also criticized.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The barbs that President Barack Obama and Seth Meyers hurled at him created a political narrative that persists.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Rather than bruising the Italian leader, the barbs have appear to have won her support at home, even uniting those who vehemently oppose and criticize her.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
After the San Antonio Spurs ruled out Victor Wembanyama for the second half of Tuesday night’s playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a head injury, the companies traded barbs on social media.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2026
There has been a fierce legal battle, dueling memoirs, and sharp barbs in the press.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
The script, written by Lowery, is filled with aphoristic barbs, especially from Sam.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
Those vibe-y details are also easy to clip for a fan cam, and seem to distract many of today’s weirdest guys from being able to see the film’s satirical barbs.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
Allen’s barbs about other female musicians on the title track were also criticized.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbs
Noun
-
The president has spent a decade calling his rivals communists and traitors, among other hyperbolic insults.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
According to Politico, the conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults.—
Tom Jurkowsky,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbs. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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