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

The most backhanded of backhanded compliments is paid to reporter Seymour Hersh during the documentary “Cover-Up,” and by the unlikeliest of sources.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

Last Thanksgiving was full of backhanded compliments and pointed remarks.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 27, 2025

Critics liked it well enough, but often in a backhanded way, calling it a very good television movie.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2025

He offers a kind of backhanded compliment: There’s a “snob factor” at Truman’s neighboring high schools that does not exist here.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove