barbed

adjective

ˈbärbd How to pronounce barbed (audio)
Definition of barbednext
as in satirical
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings barbed satire on American academia

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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 barbed Mengistu, a member of Israel's Ethiopian minority, entered the territory by crossing a barbed wire fence into Gaza. — Associated Press, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025 All pennies will henceforth be exiled to Guantanamo to live out their lives as former currency in orange jumpsuits, behind barbed wire, only inches from the best beaches ever. — Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2025 Away in a northeasterly direction towards Lake Pontchartrain sits a charmless, gated perimeter, secured by a fence topped with barbed wire. — Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025 This is Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place where the Nazis treated people like animals caged in by electrified barbed wire, where prisoners died slowly by a combination of slave labor, human experimentation, starvation and disease. — Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for barbed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbed
  1. satiric
  2. sarcastic
  3. acidic
  4. acid
Adjective
  • Misery, a horror movie with a satiric streak, launched Bates’s film stardom.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
  • The real star of the show, though, is not the satiric script or the campy performances, but rather how each character brings their own unique approach to dressing for the corporate ladder.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Feb. 2025
Definition of satiric
Adjective
  • These behaviors may include: Making sarcastic or pointed remarks.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • His character is written as sharp-minded, witty, and sarcastic, according to the filmmakers.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of sarcastic
Adjective
  • The site should have well-draining loose soil with a slightly acidic or neutral pH (6.0-7.0).
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Soil pH level: The pH level tells you how acidic your soil is.
    — BestReviews, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of acidic
Adjective
  • For the Abe Lincoln tomato, for example — a century-old, disease-resistant red slicer with rich, slightly acid flavor — there is seed from listers in California, Nebraska, Maine, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Jersey.
    — Margaret Roach, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Black dragons are the ultimate swamp monsters that shoot an acid breath attack.
    — Rob Wieland, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of acid

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“Barbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbed. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of barbed for Spanish Speakers

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