as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
"I'm amazed you did so well" is a bit of a backhanded compliment
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Recent Examples of backhanded
This biting insult about nails Cristal is queen of the backhanded compliment.
—
Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Still, Pet Sematary is surprisingly, enjoyably watchable, which is a bit of a backhanded compliment for an adaptation of something so dark.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
But, in a way, even this backlash is a backhanded recognition of the moment; the Administration, and its supporters in the fossil-fuel industry, clearly consider this the last possible moment to stifle the sun.
—Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 9 July 2025
After his wife, Hailey Bieber, appeared looking happy, healthy, and gorgeous on the cover of the June 2025 issue of Vogue, Justin Bieber took to Instagram to congratulate the model on the achievement in a sort of a backhanded way.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for backhanded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backhanded
Adjective
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These ones elevate the trend — pun intended — with comfortable platform soles and double side stripe appliqués.—
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McDonald's has made the Big Arch — a massive double-patty burger — a permanent menu item in the United Kingdom and Ireland.—
Adjective
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Punter Sean West — whose long 24-yard heave on a fake punt outgained every quarterback on the roster.—
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Green expertly applies fake eyelashes, thick foundation and a dessert brown eye look, while Messina goes to work piling tight curls atop my head.—
Adjective
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The pop of color offers a shimmer-free (rare!) means of warming up a wedding look and works equally well at lip level.—
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By After Testing Over 30 Best Sellers By Siena Gagliano Unlike balms, which can make lip color slide around, a primer locks it in while keeping lips soft and comfortable.—
Adjective
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His fall played as tabloid morality tale, at once confirming secular suspicion about hypocritical Christians and Christian suspicions about the temptations of secular trappings.—
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And now, with several countries withdrawing from global governance, Jin thinks those lecturing China on being responsible are being hypocritical.—
Adjective
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One wrong look or insincere angle and the conversation can go sideways.—
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The man whom Navarro likes to call the Boss seems to value insincere, or bought, obeisance—the flapping and fussing of a maître d’—more than heartfelt fandom, which lacks the piquancy of humiliation.—
Adjective
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Interactions with his wife’s family remain strained; to this day, no one has told 99-year-old Nana that Webster was in prison.—
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That reunion marked the first time that the father and son had seen each other in 19 months amid their strained relationship.—
Adjective
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And to folks unfamiliar with the IP system, that makes some superficial sense.—
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Whether opting for a superficial peel like a lactic or glycolic acid, a medium-depth peel such as Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA), or deep treatment such as phenol, a chemical peel can address many skin concerns.—
Adjective
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Diplomacy is preferable, but diplomacy without credibility is meaningless.—
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Sadly, these beliefs become meaningless when college turns into a test of how much a person can endure instead of a career path.—
Cite this Entry
“Backhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backhanded. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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