as in insults
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 barbs
The camaraderie expressed Thursday was a far cry from the barbs the two officials exchanged just more than a year ago, when Clark, at City Council hearing, blasted Tisch over the NYPD’s crackdown on the homeless and those accused of misdemeanor crimes.
—
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk’s lawsuit against Altman is the culmination of a yearslong feud that has sometimes led the two former associates to trade public barbs online.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
DeSantis and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have traded barbs in recent days over the issue.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
And while the performances and the writing are still spackled with amusing barbs and observations about some of the grossest people in American life, The Audacity is missing a crucial forward momentum.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The barbs that President Barack Obama and Seth Meyers hurled at him created a political narrative that persists.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Rather than bruising the Italian leader, the barbs have appear to have won her support at home, even uniting those who vehemently oppose and criticize her.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
After the San Antonio Spurs ruled out Victor Wembanyama for the second half of Tuesday night’s playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a head injury, the companies traded barbs on social media.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2026
There has been a fierce legal battle, dueling memoirs, and sharp barbs in the press.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk’s lawsuit against Altman is the culmination of a yearslong feud that has sometimes led the two former associates to trade public barbs online.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
DeSantis and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have traded barbs in recent days over the issue.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
And while the performances and the writing are still spackled with amusing barbs and observations about some of the grossest people in American life, The Audacity is missing a crucial forward momentum.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The barbs that President Barack Obama and Seth Meyers hurled at him created a political narrative that persists.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2026
Rather than bruising the Italian leader, the barbs have appear to have won her support at home, even uniting those who vehemently oppose and criticize her.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
After the San Antonio Spurs ruled out Victor Wembanyama for the second half of Tuesday night’s playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a head injury, the companies traded barbs on social media.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2026
There has been a fierce legal battle, dueling memoirs, and sharp barbs in the press.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbs
Noun
-
The president has spent a decade calling his rivals communists and traitors, among other hyperbolic insults.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
According to Politico, the conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults.—
Tom Jurkowsky,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbs. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
