as in criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thumbs-down
According to February Gallup polling, 42 percent of Americans are giving a thumbs-up to Trump’s economic stewardship while 54 percent are giving him a thumbs-down.
Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy also fell to 39 percent from 43 percent in polling released last week by Reuters/Ipsos.
—
Tobias Burns, The Hill, 1 Mar. 2025
From thumbs-up to thumbs-downs, here’s how critics are reacting.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
That drew extended cheers while people in the crowd made thumbs-down gestures to signify McCain’s opposition to the GOP effort to repeal it.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
In late August, Lindor and good friend Javier Baez, whom the Mets acquired weeks earlier from the Chicago Cubs, began flashing a thumbs-down sign upon getting base hits in response to fans who booed the team throughout a disappointing season.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Is there any gesture in our visual vernacular more visceral than a thumbs-down?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2024
Separately, content pages will now have thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons to help personalize the company’s algorithms to your own taste.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 24 Sep. 2024
Pusha has a slick line about the Brittney Griner prisoner swap, and a humorous thumbs-down to D-list reality stars that lands in characteristically callous fashion.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
Here's one: Republican efforts to repeal the landmark Affordable Care Act were vanquished in 2017 when GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, at a suspenseful final moment, gave a thumbs-down vote against his party.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
Tobias Burns, The Hill, 1 Mar. 2025
From thumbs-up to thumbs-downs, here’s how critics are reacting.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
That drew extended cheers while people in the crowd made thumbs-down gestures to signify McCain’s opposition to the GOP effort to repeal it.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
In late August, Lindor and good friend Javier Baez, whom the Mets acquired weeks earlier from the Chicago Cubs, began flashing a thumbs-down sign upon getting base hits in response to fans who booed the team throughout a disappointing season.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Is there any gesture in our visual vernacular more visceral than a thumbs-down?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2024
Separately, content pages will now have thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons to help personalize the company’s algorithms to your own taste.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 24 Sep. 2024
Pusha has a slick line about the Brittney Griner prisoner swap, and a humorous thumbs-down to D-list reality stars that lands in characteristically callous fashion.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
Here's one: Republican efforts to repeal the landmark Affordable Care Act were vanquished in 2017 when GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, at a suspenseful final moment, gave a thumbs-down vote against his party.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbs-down
Noun
-
For an artist so focused on the future, criticism doesn’t slow him down.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Apr. 2025
-
In both cases, the criticism is not completely superficial.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Aimee Lou Wood, our beloved Chelsea, went on Instagram Stories with her distaste for Sarah Sherman’s impression.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Fans are livid and continue to post on X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their distaste.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Congress could cancel new tariffs or increase tariffs by passing a joint resolution of disapproval.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
7 Apr. 2025
-
The legislation would also give Congress the authority to end tariffs at any time by passing a resolution of disapproval.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Carr has multiple probes in progress, and his investigation into CBS over the editing of an interview with Kamala Harris has drawn condemnations from both liberal and conservative advocacy groups that describe it as a threat to the Constitutional right to free speech.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2025
-
The politically explosive ruling drew condemnation from her right-wing allies in Europe and across the Atlantic.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Their firm rejection of federal government conditions also emphasizes autonomy's critical role in organizational health.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
The 6-foot-11 big man is logging averages of 19.2 points, 10.4 boards, 4.9 dimes, 1.1 swipes and 0.8 rejections across his 75 available contests.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Out of the privation, the challenge, and the censure of slavery and the unfulfilled promise of post-Reconstruction justice, Black musicians embraced experimentation and innovation, ingenuity and joy, and a multigenerational call and response speaking truth to power that endures to the present day.—
Elizabeth Alexander,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The commissioners held an executive session Monday, an hour before the district sent an email with the Tuesday censure agenda item.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This one is both meaner-spirited and clumsier, as Brooker grafts his prank call coming from inside the house onto a denunciation of one of the planet’s profoundest manmade evils: the health-care industry.—
Charles Bramesco,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The National Museum of African American History and Culture—which, until recently, was run by The New Yorker’s poetry editor, Kevin Young—comes in for particularly splenetic denunciation.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thumbs-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumbs-down. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share