brickbat

noun

brick·​bat ˈbrik-ˌbat 

1

: a fragment of a hard material (such as a brick)

especially : one used as a missile

2

: an uncomplimentary remark

Synonyms

• affront
• barb
• cut
• dart
• dig
• dis [slang]
• diss
• epithet
• gird
• indignity
• insult
• name
• offense
• offence
• outrage
• personality
• poke
• put-down
• sarcasm
• slap
• slight
• slur

Examples of brickbat in a Sentence

The candidates resorted to hurling brickbats at one another.

For all the brickbats it has received, it's a good plan.

Recent Examples on the Web

India has faced brickbats for not testing enough despite the emphasis laid by the World Health Organisation. —Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 22 Mar. 2020

His popularity has survived brickbats and thrived despite personal woes. —Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2020

The task has made him a target of brickbats from some elements of the Republican party, including President Trump, who see the Mueller investigation as tainted by political bias. —Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2018

Mr Johnson is hyper-sensitive to the brickbats of the liberal elite into which he was born, and sulked after the referendum when his neighbours in Islington turned against him. —Boris Johnson, The Economist, 4 July 2019

And Mr Biden may not be up to dealing with the brickbats this guarantees him. —Lexington | Washington, The Economist, 28 June 2019

Lenny, who was accustomed to brickbats, picked himself up and kept his conducting dates, but Jamie believes that Felicia, suffering from public humiliation, was never the same. —David Denby, The New Yorker, 16 June 2018

Years of critical brickbats toughened Albee’s already tough hide and taught him to trust only himself. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

brick + bat entry 1 (lump, fragment)

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brickbat

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat

Kids Definition

brickbat

noun

brick·​bat ˈbrik-ˌbat 

: a piece of a hard material (as a brick)