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Glite Dictionary
✋ Using the left hand ↩️ Turning left 😏 Insincere praise 💍 Unofficial marriage
left-handed

left-handed

1 7.9
A remark that sounds like praise but is really an insult
  • adjective
  • /ˈlɛftˌhændɪd/
  • Offensive
translation icon : envenenado
  • She did have to take a left-handed shot at my comments, "h8rs gon' na h8."
  • a left-handed compliment

Examples

  • His review felt like a left-handed compliment because he praised her talent while criticizing her methods.

  • It was a left-handed compliment to the wives.

    Blog text (33)

  • She received a left-handed compliment when her boss said she was "doing great for someone in her position."

  • The article included a left-handed compliment about the team's performance, suggesting they were lucky to win.

Synonyms

backhanded
vsleft-handed
6 7.8

An indirect remark that looks like praise but actually criticizes

is specifically praise worded insincerely to conceal an insult

Antonyms

compliment
342 1.6

A polite remark that praises someone or something

How Sincere

sincere
239 2.5
left-handed
  • Offensive
1 7.9
sarcastic
99 4.0
snide
26 7.5
insincere
19 4.2

Surface Forms

left-handed positive

Morphology

left-handed = handed (opaque) = left + hand + ed

The sense 'insincere or ironic remark' is a figurative/idiomatic extension that learners cannot reliably infer from the morphemes.

Etymology

Left-handed used about a remark means it sounds like praise but is not sincere or is awkward; the older idea of left as 'awkward' or 'not straightforward' helps explain why a left-handed compliment hides an insult.