backhanded
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That No 10 feels the need to criticise the Greens is a backhanded compliment that shows they matter.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
Last Thanksgiving was full of backhanded compliments and pointed remarks.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 27, 2025
In a 1919 review of a pair of books by Theodore Dreiser, Virginia Woolf issued some exquisitely backhanded praise for the Indiana-born author, whose writing, she thought, stood out for its roughness and vitality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
The high-stakes romantic comedy “Oh, Hi!” is a backhanded compliment to lotharios like Rudolph Valentino, James Bond and “The Wolf of Wall Street’s” Jordan Belfort.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2025
Tears slid down her cheeks and she backhanded them away.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
