1
: having barbs
2
: characterized by pointed and biting criticism or sarcasm
barbed witticisms
Examples of barbed in a Sentence
The candidates exchanged barbed comments during the debate.
barbed satire on American academia
Recent Examples on the Web
They are usually laid out in vast fields ahead of defensive positions, marked with barbed wire and warning signs
Such minefields slow down or halt an enemy assault.
—
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
An enemy then grabs the barbed wire with his bare hands — which already sounds like a bad idea, btw — only for the wire to shock him backward.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
There were no trees nearby, just rows and rows of tan and olive-green tents erected on cement and surrounded by airport hangars, porta-potties, barbed wire, and guard towers.
—Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025
Additionally, the walls were covered in barbed wire, and the balcony had a large privacy wall.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbed
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David Hambling, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
An enemy then grabs the barbed wire with his bare hands — which already sounds like a bad idea, btw — only for the wire to shock him backward.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
There were no trees nearby, just rows and rows of tan and olive-green tents erected on cement and surrounded by airport hangars, porta-potties, barbed wire, and guard towers.
—Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025
Additionally, the walls were covered in barbed wire, and the balcony had a large privacy wall.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbed
Cite this Entry
“Barbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbed. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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