as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the brickbats were flying the night that those two bitchy divas were seated at the same table
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Recent Examples of brickbat
India has faced brickbats for not testing enough despite the emphasis laid by the World Health Organisation.
—
Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 22 Mar. 2020
His popularity has survived brickbats and thrived despite personal woes.
—Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2020
Mr Johnson is hyper-sensitive to the brickbats of the liberal elite into which he was born, and sulked after the referendum when his neighbours in Islington turned against him.
—Boris Johnson, The Economist, 4 July 2019
The task has made him a target of brickbats from some elements of the Republican party, including President Trump, who see the Mueller investigation as tainted by political bias.
—Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018
Lenny, who was accustomed to brickbats, picked himself up and kept his conducting dates, but Jamie believes that Felicia, suffering from public humiliation, was never the same.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 16 June 2018
Years of critical brickbats toughened Albee’s already tough hide and taught him to trust only himself.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018
Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 22 Mar. 2020
His popularity has survived brickbats and thrived despite personal woes.
—Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2020
Mr Johnson is hyper-sensitive to the brickbats of the liberal elite into which he was born, and sulked after the referendum when his neighbours in Islington turned against him.
—Boris Johnson, The Economist, 4 July 2019
The task has made him a target of brickbats from some elements of the Republican party, including President Trump, who see the Mueller investigation as tainted by political bias.
—Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018
Lenny, who was accustomed to brickbats, picked himself up and kept his conducting dates, but Jamie believes that Felicia, suffering from public humiliation, was never the same.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 16 June 2018
Years of critical brickbats toughened Albee’s already tough hide and taught him to trust only himself.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brickbat
Noun
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Rockrohr used both sides of this visual coin, telling of groundwork done by the late Harry Teshima to bring Black residents into the community and tales of lasting friendships and stories of insults thrown at Black students.—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
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The scuffles came amid an already intense night, with tensions fueled by a brutal press conference on Thursday for the title fight between Lopez and Stevenson, during which the boxers exchanged insults about each other’s family members.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, sitcoms like Friends marked a movement toward irony in comedy with its trademark tongue-in-cheek banter and sarcasm, Thompson explains.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Eby quipped with her usual dry sarcasm.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were taken from their snowy suburban Minneapolis driveway last month to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, sparking widespread outrage.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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In recent weeks, Republicans around the country responded to public outrage after federal agents killed a Minnesota nurse.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brickbat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brickbat. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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