1
: having barbs
2
: characterized by pointed and biting criticism or sarcasm
barbed witticisms
Synonyms
Examples of barbed in a Sentence
The candidates exchanged barbed comments during the debate.
barbed satire on American academia
Recent Examples on the Web
Within a few decades, barbed wire transformed the American West.
—
JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
The eight-inch figure bears majestic resemblance to the 164-foot mutant that steamrolls the world in Minus One, with an interchangeable screeching head and a moveable, barbed tail.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 21 May 2024
The fence is more than 8 feet tall and is topped with a strand of barbed wire — too high for many animals to jump and dangerous for those that attempt to do so.
—Elise Schmelzer, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2024
One of his proudest accomplishments was removing 30 miles of fence to accommodate his growing cattle grazing operation, reclaiming the wide-open feel lost when the land was divided into chunks surrounded by barbed wire for smaller cattle farmers.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for barbed 
JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
The eight-inch figure bears majestic resemblance to the 164-foot mutant that steamrolls the world in Minus One, with an interchangeable screeching head and a moveable, barbed tail.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 21 May 2024
The fence is more than 8 feet tall and is topped with a strand of barbed wire — too high for many animals to jump and dangerous for those that attempt to do so.
—Elise Schmelzer, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2024
One of his proudest accomplishments was removing 30 miles of fence to accommodate his growing cattle grazing operation, reclaiming the wide-open feel lost when the land was divided into chunks surrounded by barbed wire for smaller cattle farmers.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for barbed
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barbed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near barbed
Cite this Entry
“Barbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbed. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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