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
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
Fans of The Walking Dead will never forget how the actor, playing Negan, bludgeoned Yeun's Glenn to death with a barbed baseball bat.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2025
But there is no mention of the rather barbed correspondence about dreams that the men shared in 1932, and we are left wanting more about the interaction between these two giants of 20th-century culture.
—Orlando Whitfield, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbed
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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
Fans of The Walking Dead will never forget how the actor, playing Negan, bludgeoned Yeun's Glenn to death with a barbed baseball bat.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2025
But there is no mention of the rather barbed correspondence about dreams that the men shared in 1932, and we are left wanting more about the interaction between these two giants of 20th-century culture.
—Orlando Whitfield, New York Times, 18 Feb. 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 24 Mar. 2025.
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