as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
"I'm amazed you did so well" is a bit of a backhanded compliment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backhanded
Memes documenting the backhanded—if well-intentioned—line popped up instantaneously.
—
Lindy Segal, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2024
Draisaitl was the beneficiary of a beautiful, backhanded pass from Darnell Nurse to further extend the lead before veteran Corey Perry scored from distance.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024
On a similar note, Sweet Tea’s comments about Quad’s new man feel a bit backhanded, especially considering she was once married to her current husband.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 9 Dec. 2024
Holland explained how fellow Spider-Man star and girlfriend Zendaya was useful in a sort of backhanded way.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for backhanded 
Lindy Segal, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2024
Draisaitl was the beneficiary of a beautiful, backhanded pass from Darnell Nurse to further extend the lead before veteran Corey Perry scored from distance.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024
On a similar note, Sweet Tea’s comments about Quad’s new man feel a bit backhanded, especially considering she was once married to her current husband.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 9 Dec. 2024
Holland explained how fellow Spider-Man star and girlfriend Zendaya was useful in a sort of backhanded way.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for backhanded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backhanded
Adjective
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The Russian striker produced a stunning knockout in his last outing, finishing Armen Petrosyan with a double spinning-backfist to claim a highlight-reel KO.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
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The dynamic between Pasqual and his double Miguel (Miguel Huerta) is fascinating, for a couple of reasons: First, Miguel is hilarious.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The group’s stage show would double as something like a live-act pilot for a fake TV series.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2025
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The fake list contains a few different hyper-obscure characters that seem potentially unlikely to arrive.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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For lip color, reach for the Merit Beauty Signature lipsticks.—
Loren Savini,
Allure,
22 Jan. 2025
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While lip reading is commonly used as a way for those with hearing disabilities to understand speech and conversations, it’s also called upon for legal matters and police investigations.—
Emily Holgate,
refinery29.com,
19 Jan. 2024
Adjective
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The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2022
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What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.—
Sam Sacks,
WSJ,
11 Nov. 2022
Adjective
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Jamie Bernstein considers the attitude hypocritical.—
Miguel Sirgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2025
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There are several moments in which Stewart comes off as hypocritical and lacking self-awareness.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The character is an insincere male feminist who makes performative comments about healing psychological trauma and supporting women.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
16 Jan. 2025
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Personalization is key to effective cold emailing, but doing it wrong can make your emails feel insincere or even drive people away.—
Samuel Darwin,
Forbes,
17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Proponents of this theory point to Kennedy's strained relationship with the CIA after the Bay of Pigs blunder, as well as differences over how the U.S. should have approached Vietnam.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
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Sasaki, who was 18 at the time, encountered difficulties rehabilitating a strained muscle in his right arm.—
Dylan Hernández,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Neuralink procedure, on the other hand, occurs on the superficial, surface- area of the brain and requires a relatively small incision.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2025
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Technical And Operational Challenges Many organizations face integration hurdles with AI solutions due to existing investments in legacy systems and required employee training, often resulting in superficial implementation and a lack of comprehensive upskilling.—
Shivangi Khurania,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Backhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backhanded. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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