barbed

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Having sharp points that curve backward, making something hard to pull out, as on wire or a hook.

   Grammar: Usually before a noun: barbed wire, barbed hook.

   Patterns

   • barbed wire
   • barbed hook

   The farmer put barbed wire around the field to keep animals in.

   The fish was caught on a barbed hook and could not escape.

   The fence was topped with barbed wire for security.

2. 2adjectivenot comparablefigurative

   Criticizing someone in a sharp, hurtful way, often while seeming casual or clever.

   Grammar: Usually before a noun: a barbed comment, barbed wit.

   Patterns

   • a barbed comment
   • barbed wit
   • a barbed remark

   She made a barbed comment about his driving, but smiled as she said it.

   His barbed humor often upset people who didn't know him well.

   The review was full of barbed remarks about the author's style.

Common combinations

barbed wire

The prisoners were kept behind barbed wire.

barbed comment

He made a barbed comment about her cooking, which hurt her feelings.

barbed remark

Her barbed remark about his new haircut made everyone uncomfortable.

barbed wit

The comedian's barbed wit spared no one.

Synonyms and how they differ

spiky

Spiky means having sharp points, but it doesn't imply the backward curve that makes barbed things hard to remove.

cutting

Cutting describes a hurtful remark; barbed often suggests a clever or indirect sting.

sharp

Sharp can mean critical, but barbed is more specifically hurtful and often disguised as casual.

Opposites

Word family

barb noun

The sharp point on a barbed object.

barbedness noun

The quality of being barbed or hurtful.

Commonly confused: barbed or barded?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “barbed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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