backhanded
6
7.8
- adjective
- /ˈbækˌhændɪd/
:
indirecto
- And the NY Times will continue to give backhanded compliments.
It's, it's such a backhanded insult.
- It's, it's such a backhanded insult.
- I don't necessarily need to prove that we're going to do the right thing as Winston Churchill, you know, gave his very perverse, backhanded blessing of all this.
- I mean kind of backhanded support because here's the do and this is just how spineless and pathetic incumbents are.
- During his speech, Mayor Pete gave Bernie a bit of a backhanded compliment.
- They're like kind of more backhanded.
- They they did this whole Facebook backhanded thing where some of them voted like the Sam Altman guy got voted out by his partners.
Examples
-
I admit that the last sentence is about the biggest backhanded compliment I've ever given someone.
Blog text (9) -
In other words, you offer backhanded compliments while knocking the QB's play.
Blog text (2) -
Is this one of your backhanded compliments.
-
I will accept your backhanded compliment.
-
Always with the backhanded compliment.
-
"Having said that, compared to what you did yesterday, that was a million times better," says backhanded compliment master Simon.
Blog text (34) -
I'd say that is a backhanded recognition that you are now running a mainstream blog.
Blog text (10) -
Or is it just a backhanded way of agreeing with Linda's statement?
Blog text (16) -
You note that Jobs' harshest critics have recently started allowing some backhanded compliments.
Blog text (29) -
His remark was a backhanded compliment that left her feeling confused about his true feelings.
Synonyms
1
7.9
A remark that sounds like praise but is really an insult
Antonyms
Compounds
How Insincere
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
A helpful way to remember the meaning of backhanded for a remark is to think of a hit with the back of the hand, which feels like a rude or sneaky strike. So a backhanded compliment looks like 'praise' but hides an 'insult', which is why the word means indirect or not really sincere.