as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
delivered one last barb to his ex-girlfriend as he stalked away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 barb
The two traded personal barbs, rekindling history from more than a decade ago.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Michigan’s Dusty May and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo exchanged barbs this week after a tense game over the weekend.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The unexpected barb left Kimmel flabbergasted.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
The trio has great comedic chemistry, with Marissa constantly exchanging witty barbs with Jamie and barking orders at Harper, while the latter two bond over their mutual messiness.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Michigan’s Dusty May and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo exchanged barbs this week after a tense game over the weekend.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The unexpected barb left Kimmel flabbergasted.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
The trio has great comedic chemistry, with Marissa constantly exchanging witty barbs with Jamie and barking orders at Harper, while the latter two bond over their mutual messiness.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barb
Noun
-
The final insult from State Farm came just hours after Karen Powers died, early on the morning of August 2, 2023.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In an appearance on Fox News, the Trump-supporting singer bashed the choice of Bunny, saying the performance was an insult to the MAGA movement.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, sitcoms like Friends marked a movement toward irony in comedy with its trademark tongue-in-cheek banter and sarcasm, Thompson explains.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Eby quipped with her usual dry sarcasm.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
