thumbs-down

noun

Definition of thumbs-downnext
as in criticism

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thumbs-down But the Western States Petroleum Association, an industry trade group, gave Tuesday’s announcement a thumbs-down. — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026 Ultimately, the Fillmore city council gave Aston the thumbs-down on Aston's bond idea. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2026 Those patients can provide feedback on Emmie’s responses with simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down reactions. — Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 14 Apr. 2026 For opponents, that can feel like the tennis equivalent of a thumbs-down from a Roman emperor. — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thumbs-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbs-down
  1. criticism
  2. distaste
  3. disapproval
  4. condemnation
  5. rejection
  6. censure
  7. denunciation
Noun
  • Vucic has pushed hard against the protesters as the government faced international criticism over police violence and arbitrary detentions of demonstrators.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • His political interests would be served if Republicans were to stop attacking Carlson and if Carlson were to tone down his criticism of the GOP.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of criticism
Noun
  • The designers were mostly united in their distaste for what are known on the playa as Sparkle Ponies.
    — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Evidence isn’t scarce as to why Canadians have a newfound distaste for the White House.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of distaste
Noun
  • The committee earlier this month recommended censure, which registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that doesn’t meet the threshold for expulsion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Sheinbaum, writing on X early Saturday, expressed her disapproval of Rocha Moya’s decision to return as governor of northwestern state.
    — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of disapproval
Noun
  • That drew condemnation in the volatile region that remains ethnically divided more than three decades after the war, which started when Bosnia's Serbs took control over swaths of the country's territory to form their own state.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Police shot at an unarmed crowd protesting apartheid pass laws on March 21, 1960, and drew international condemnation.
    — Michelle Gumede, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of condemnation
Noun
  • Wilson’s whispering, Kermit-ish cadence juxtaposed with Heems’s audacious bars shorthands the borough’s rejection of one-size-fits-all characterization as one of the most diverse urban centers in the world.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Some experts say the call for a temporary halt to more approvals should not be taken as a rejection of potential foreign investment in the country, but rather as a mechanism to establish clear rules, especially around transparency.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejection
Noun
  • Edwards stood in the well of the House as the censure resolution was read.
    — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Following the vote, Speaker Mike Johnson asked Edwards to present himself in the well of the chamber as the censure resolution was read aloud.
    — John Parkinson, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of censure
Noun
  • What Assange wanted was not a system hardened against attacks, but one tied in knots, hopelessly conflicted and filled with suspicion, denunciations, and purges.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Iran launched a drone attack against Azerbaijan early in the war, triggering harsh denunciations and speculation that Azerbaijan could enter the war.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of denunciation

Browse Nearby Words

thumbs
thumbs-down
thumbs-downs
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Cite this Entry

“Thumbs-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumbs-down. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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