BARBED Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

barbed

adjective

ˈbärbd

Definition of barbed

as in satiric

marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings barbed satire on American academia

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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 barbed To simulate thwarting advances by enemy forces using the bridge, soldiers erected layers of barriers and rolled barbed wire. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026 Another drone created a smoke screen while still more blasted through triple-layered barbed wire. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026 The train station hulked behind barbed wire, abandoned for years, both witness to and eight million bricks’ worth of evidence of Detroit's near-collapse. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026 After a decree by the Volkskammer, East German soldiers began installing a barbed wire barrier through Berlin. — USA Today, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for barbed

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbed

Adjective

The extremely soapy, enjoyably satirical true-life drama chronicles love, rampant betrayal and a brazen murder plot through three decades of the iconic Gucci fashion house.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Film is an art form that ranges from the broadly entertaining to the sharply satirical and controversial.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of satiric

Adjective

The department’s post drew skeptical and sarcastic reactions from commenters who wondered whether the missing $30 called for a public search.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Our second president, John Adams, was said to have had a sarcastic demeanor and made biting remarks about his contemporaries.

— John Blumenthal, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of sarcastic

Adjective

That’s because acidic foods such as tomatoes and oranges may react with aluminum foil, causing a metallic taste or slight discoloration, but don’t worry.

— Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026
If the pH gets too acidic, nitrogen uptake is greatly reduced, leading to a deficiency in the plant, even if there’s plenty of nitrogen in the potting soil.

— Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of acidic

Adjective

The idea that these two would have a five-minute-or-less breakup conversation, then plop down on the couch and happily embark on an acid trip together, strains credulity a little, even for this bizarre, codependent friend group.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
In a sequencer that resembled a large fridge, millions of short nucleic-acid fragments would be identified in the span of ten hours.

— Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of acid

Adjective

The pacing is more frenetic, the narration more biting, the flashbacks more jarring, and the comedowns much harsher.

— Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026

Definition of biting

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barbecues

barbed

barber

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“Barbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbed. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of barbed

adjective

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