as in criticism
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Recent Examples of thumbs-down
According to February Gallup polling, 42 percent of Americans are giving a thumbs-up to Trump’s economic stewardship while 54 percent are giving him a thumbs-down.
Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy also fell to 39 percent from 43 percent in polling released last week by Reuters/Ipsos.
—
Tobias Burns, The Hill, 1 Mar. 2025
From thumbs-up to thumbs-downs, here’s how critics are reacting.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
That drew extended cheers while people in the crowd made thumbs-down gestures to signify McCain’s opposition to the GOP effort to repeal it.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
In late August, Lindor and good friend Javier Baez, whom the Mets acquired weeks earlier from the Chicago Cubs, began flashing a thumbs-down sign upon getting base hits in response to fans who booed the team throughout a disappointing season.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Is there any gesture in our visual vernacular more visceral than a thumbs-down?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2024
Separately, content pages will now have thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons to help personalize the company’s algorithms to your own taste.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 24 Sep. 2024
Pusha has a slick line about the Brittney Griner prisoner swap, and a humorous thumbs-down to D-list reality stars that lands in characteristically callous fashion.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
Here's one: Republican efforts to repeal the landmark Affordable Care Act were vanquished in 2017 when GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, at a suspenseful final moment, gave a thumbs-down vote against his party.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
Tobias Burns, The Hill, 1 Mar. 2025
From thumbs-up to thumbs-downs, here’s how critics are reacting.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
That drew extended cheers while people in the crowd made thumbs-down gestures to signify McCain’s opposition to the GOP effort to repeal it.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
In late August, Lindor and good friend Javier Baez, whom the Mets acquired weeks earlier from the Chicago Cubs, began flashing a thumbs-down sign upon getting base hits in response to fans who booed the team throughout a disappointing season.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Is there any gesture in our visual vernacular more visceral than a thumbs-down?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2024
Separately, content pages will now have thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons to help personalize the company’s algorithms to your own taste.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 24 Sep. 2024
Pusha has a slick line about the Brittney Griner prisoner swap, and a humorous thumbs-down to D-list reality stars that lands in characteristically callous fashion.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
Here's one: Republican efforts to repeal the landmark Affordable Care Act were vanquished in 2017 when GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, at a suspenseful final moment, gave a thumbs-down vote against his party.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbs-down
Noun
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The move came after White House staffers lobbed criticism at comments made by Ruffin that were critical of the Trump administration.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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This comes as the Trump administration has faced growing criticisms for its hurried proceedings to remove as many noncitizens from the country as quickly as possible.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There seems to be a widespread distaste among philanthropies for grantees developing dependence on their support.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2025
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One wonders why Garland and co-director Ray Mendoza have made the film at all when there seems to be not simply an ignorance of the period in question but an active distaste for realizing its real-life consequences.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In a previous poll by the same group in February, Trump's approval rating was 50 percent and his disapproval rating was 48 percent.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Even on immigration — historically one of Trump’s best-performing issues — his disapproval rating narrowly outstripped his approval rating, 48% to 47%.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The latest attack sparked outrage and drew international condemnation, including from U.S. President Donald Trump.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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The time for condemnation is over, Denmark's representative, Christina Markus Lassen, said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Account hopes to combat misogynistic online content Creators like Andrew Tate provide a pipeline for men seeking advice about romantic rejection, physical self-esteem and economic insecurity to fall into radicalism and misogyny.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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Cronenberg’s rejection of the notion was just one of the first surprising musings from a discussion with Variety about his approach to art, including his consideration of the audience, embrace of technology and rejection of genre.—
William Earl,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Similarly, in the legal profession, lawyers who violate state bar codes of conduct are subject to discipline, such as censure, suspension, or loss of license to practice law.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
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Representative Lauren Boebert has criticized her colleague Representative Chrissy Houlahan, the Pennsylvania Democrat who introduced a motion of censure against the Colorado Republican on Monday.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This one is both meaner-spirited and clumsier, as Brooker grafts his prank call coming from inside the house onto a denunciation of one of the planet’s profoundest manmade evils: the health-care industry.—
Charles Bramesco,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture—which, until recently, was run by The New Yorker’s poetry editor, Kevin Young—comes in for particularly splenetic denunciation.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thumbs-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumbs-down. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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