Skip to main content
frontlash

frontlash

1 9.4
A strong push back from people before a planned change
  • noun
  • /ˈfrʌntˌlæʃ/
  • Neologism
: frontal
  • The government faced a significant frontlash from citizens even before the new law was introduced.

Examples

  • There was a frontlash!

  • There was a visible frontlash in the community as soon as the plans for redevelopment were leaked.

  • Activists organized a frontlash to protest the rumored policy changes ahead of the official announcement.

  • The frontlash was unexpected.

  • The company's new policies faced a strong frontlash from employees who were worried about job security.

  • As the project deadline approached, there was a noticeable frontlash from team members who wanted more time to prepare.

  • The proposed changes in the curriculum generated a frontlash from parents concerned about their children's education.

Antonyms

125 2.7

Being approved or welcomed by other people

How Strong

backlash
  • Literature
115 4.8
protest
664 2.5
frontlash
  • Neologism
1 9.4
dissent
  • Formal
68 6.6
concern
∞ 1.5
misgiving
2 5.9

Surface Forms

frontlash singular
frontlashes plural

Morphology

frontlash = front + lash (semi-transparent) = front + lash

Components 'front' (before) + 'lash' (a strike/reaction) suggest 'a reaction that occurs beforehand', but the construction is a neologistic analogy to 'backlash' rather than an established literal compound.

Etymology

Frontlash comes from front ('in front' or 'before') and lash, like in backlash where 'lash' means 'a strong reaction'. Think of it as a 'lash' that hits before something happens, so it means a reaction or opposition that happens in advance of an expected event.