as in offence
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
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
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
And Mr Biden may not be up to dealing with the brickbats this guarantees him.
—Lexington | Washington, The Economist, 28 June 2019
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
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
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
And Mr Biden may not be up to dealing with the brickbats this guarantees him.
—Lexington | Washington, The Economist, 28 June 2019
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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Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
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According to a cell phone video, obtained through CAIR, the man shouted several Islamophobic insults, including insults attacking Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Ensuring fairness and avoiding bias in AI systems is paramount, as algorithms can inadvertently amplify discriminatory patterns from training data or misinterpret cultural nuances and sarcasm.—
Anees Ali Khan,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Someone constantly uses sarcasm to undermine suggestions without offering alternatives.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States were among countries to express outrage, and Israel's foreign ministry announced that the U.N. Security Council will hold a special session Aug. 5 on the hostages in Gaza.—
Nidal al-Mughrabi,
USA Today,
4 Aug. 2025
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This, and the revisions to May and June's data—which the agency said resulted from subsequent reports from businesses and government agencies—prompted outrage from the president.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brickbat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brickbat. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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