as in irritating
causing annoyance
there are aspects of that writer's personality that any reasonable person would regard as rebarbative, but we're just reading his novels—not marrying him
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Recent Examples of rebarbative
Why not place a bet on Tala Madani, whose desultory drawing and wildly rebarbative conceits might have the impact at the Met that artists like Matisse once had in Paris?
—
Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
One wonders why a skinny, rebarbative marionette should be getting so much attention.
—Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022
But Krugman can also sound like a cross between a bloodthirsty Robespierre and a rebarbative GIF.
—Sebastian Mallaby, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2020
Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
One wonders why a skinny, rebarbative marionette should be getting so much attention.
—Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022
But Krugman can also sound like a cross between a bloodthirsty Robespierre and a rebarbative GIF.
—Sebastian Mallaby, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebarbative
Adjective
-
Mosquitoes may be tiny, but their bites can pack an irritating punch.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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Critics note the time and effort needed to remove stubborn labels—after all, few things are more irritating than peeling off a label and being met with sticky residue.—
Caelan McMichael,
Allure,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even sage advice given in an annoying manner will eventually be ignored, and the lord at last was driven out of his own house.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Los Angeles, where the produce is so fresh and enticing as to induce tears and the reservation culture is not nearly as annoying as New York, is a sprawling city with a sprawling food scene.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a frustrating start to their 2025-26 campaign.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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The divorce led to accusations of physical abuse and a frustrating and costly custody battle.—
Brian Martin,
Oc Register,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So much of what happens in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is disturbing — in particular, the character of Leatherface, the menacing, basement-dwelling killer who eats people and wears their faces after killing them.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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What makes this even more disturbing is the involvement of teenagers, alcohol, and guns at a large house party.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebarbative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebarbative. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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