as in criticism
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Recent Examples of thumbs-down
After some thumbs-up, thumbs-down tweaks, the images were surprisingly spot-on.
—
Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Shareholders gave Zaslav a symbolic (read: non-binding) thumbs-down last week, when a majority of voters rejected his $51.9 million compensation package.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 June 2025
After the World Series and the Gold Glove, after a trade to New York, a thumbs-down to Mets fans, Báez signed with the Detroit Tigers on a six-year, $140 million deal.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Bakare then went on to gesture thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
According to February Gallup polling, 42 percent of Americans are giving a thumbs-up to Trump’s economic stewardship while 54 percent are giving him a thumbs-down.
Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy also fell to 39 percent from 43 percent in polling released last week by Reuters/Ipsos.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 1 Mar. 2025
From thumbs-up to thumbs-downs, here’s how critics are reacting.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
That drew extended cheers while people in the crowd made thumbs-down gestures to signify McCain’s opposition to the GOP effort to repeal it.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
In late August, Lindor and good friend Javier Baez, whom the Mets acquired weeks earlier from the Chicago Cubs, began flashing a thumbs-down sign upon getting base hits in response to fans who booed the team throughout a disappointing season.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Shareholders gave Zaslav a symbolic (read: non-binding) thumbs-down last week, when a majority of voters rejected his $51.9 million compensation package.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 June 2025
After the World Series and the Gold Glove, after a trade to New York, a thumbs-down to Mets fans, Báez signed with the Detroit Tigers on a six-year, $140 million deal.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Bakare then went on to gesture thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
According to February Gallup polling, 42 percent of Americans are giving a thumbs-up to Trump’s economic stewardship while 54 percent are giving him a thumbs-down.
Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy also fell to 39 percent from 43 percent in polling released last week by Reuters/Ipsos.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 1 Mar. 2025
From thumbs-up to thumbs-downs, here’s how critics are reacting.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
That drew extended cheers while people in the crowd made thumbs-down gestures to signify McCain’s opposition to the GOP effort to repeal it.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
In late August, Lindor and good friend Javier Baez, whom the Mets acquired weeks earlier from the Chicago Cubs, began flashing a thumbs-down sign upon getting base hits in response to fans who booed the team throughout a disappointing season.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbs-down
Noun
-
Habba’s involvement has drawn criticism from Democrats, who accuse the Trump administration of politicizing federal prosecutions.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 June 2025
-
Outreach to the Jewish community Mamdani has faced some pushback, given New York's large Jewish population, over his history of comments and activism opposing Israel, including his criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza.—
Rachel Scott,
ABC News,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Malkmus’s distaste for his Pavement colleagues is well-established by now and hinted at in Pavements, though Perry is careful not to spoil everyone’s fun.—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
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Honda’s supply contract with IndyCar ends next year and the company hasn’t hid its distaste over the cheating scandals that have recently tarnished the series.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2025
Noun
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June 16-12: Trump’s approval rating remained stagnant at 42% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken June 11-16, compared to the groups’ May poll, but his disapproval rating increased two points, to 54%, in the latest survey of 4,258 U.S. adults (margin of error 2).—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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During his first term, polling indicated a higher level of disapproval for Trump's handling of immigration.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Winning would cap a startling resurrection for Cuomo, a three-term governor who resigned in 2021 amid condemnation for scandals.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested two women on Tuesday outside a West L.A. courthouse after a hearing in a local criminal case, marking the first instance in recent weeks of the Trump administration using a tactic that has drawn condemnation from the legal community.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Losing a job, or facing creative rejection, is a very real type of grief that doesn’t always get depicted as grief.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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Despite the constant rejection, Van-Der-Sluis seems determined to find the love of his life.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
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The opposition Labour Party, as well as the Green Party, criticized the suspensions as disproportionate, with the Labour Party proposing censure instead.—
Julia Zhong,
NBC news,
5 June 2025
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The censure so far has cost her a chance to vote on the state's biannual budget and propose a bill to expand access to mental health resources for residents.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Still, for all the outspoken denunciation, individual use of AI has rapidly become routine.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
17 June 2025
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Among the quicker and more vigorous denunciations was Saudi Arabia’s.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thumbs-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumbs-down. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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