as in offence
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
the brickbats were flying the night that those two bitchy divas were seated at the same table
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Recent Examples of brickbat
India has faced brickbats for not testing enough despite the emphasis laid by the World Health Organisation.
—
Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 22 Mar. 2020
His popularity has survived brickbats and thrived despite personal woes.
—Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2020
The task has made him a target of brickbats from some elements of the Republican party, including President Trump, who see the Mueller investigation as tainted by political bias.
—Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018
Mr Johnson is hyper-sensitive to the brickbats of the liberal elite into which he was born, and sulked after the referendum when his neighbours in Islington turned against him.
—Boris Johnson, The Economist, 4 July 2019
And Mr Biden may not be up to dealing with the brickbats this guarantees him.
—Lexington | Washington, The Economist, 28 June 2019
Lenny, who was accustomed to brickbats, picked himself up and kept his conducting dates, but Jamie believes that Felicia, suffering from public humiliation, was never the same.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 16 June 2018
Years of critical brickbats toughened Albee’s already tough hide and taught him to trust only himself.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018
Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 22 Mar. 2020
His popularity has survived brickbats and thrived despite personal woes.
—Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2020
The task has made him a target of brickbats from some elements of the Republican party, including President Trump, who see the Mueller investigation as tainted by political bias.
—Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018
Mr Johnson is hyper-sensitive to the brickbats of the liberal elite into which he was born, and sulked after the referendum when his neighbours in Islington turned against him.
—Boris Johnson, The Economist, 4 July 2019
And Mr Biden may not be up to dealing with the brickbats this guarantees him.
—Lexington | Washington, The Economist, 28 June 2019
Lenny, who was accustomed to brickbats, picked himself up and kept his conducting dates, but Jamie believes that Felicia, suffering from public humiliation, was never the same.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 16 June 2018
Years of critical brickbats toughened Albee’s already tough hide and taught him to trust only himself.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brickbat
Noun
-
And the gratuitous insults—to NATO allies, the European Union, the BRICs, the United Nations, or the World Health Organization—continue to flow from the president.—
MARGARET MACMILLAN,
Foreign Affairs,
21 July 2025
-
The Steals and Deals segment on the WFTV newscasts are annoying and an insult to the viewers!—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 July 2025
Noun
-
According to the post, even after raising concerns, the neighbors doubled down on their behavior, allegedly responding with sarcasm rather than solutions.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
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Her sarcasm is hilarious to me but also sobering, underscoring the individual lives that will now be upended.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
After a two-year spike during the pandemic and national outrage over police accountability, Chicago began to see a decline in homicides in 2022.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
Punishing criminals is an outrage among the progressive set, who work diligently to reframe a prison sentence as little more than a change of address.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brickbat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brickbat. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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