backhanded

[ bak-han-did ]
See synonyms for backhanded on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. performed with the hand turned backward, crosswise, or in any oblique direction so that the palm of the hand faces in the direction of the body and the back of the hand faces in the direction of forward movement.

  2. sloping in a downward direction from left to right: backhanded writing.

  1. oblique or ambiguous in meaning; indirect; insincere or malicious; wry: backhanded methods; a backhanded compliment.

  2. Ropemaking. noting a rope in which the yarns and the strands are laid in the same direction, the rope itself being laid in the opposite direction.

adverb
  1. with the hand across the body; backhand: He caught the ball backhanded.

Origin of backhanded

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; back2 + handed

Other words from backhanded

  • back·hand·ed·ly, adverb
  • back·hand·ed·ness, noun

Words Nearby backhanded

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use backhanded in a sentence

  • I realized that the very narrowness of my complaints was backhanded evidence of the enormous amount that the film gets right.

    Revisiting Lincoln | Justin Green | December 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • In his heyday, Richards had an eerily clinical and meticulous approach to drug use, a backhanded compliment to be sure.

    Cavalcade of Bad Boy Flameouts | Eric Dezenhall | March 4, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • For these women, “crazy” is a backhanded compliment, a path on the road to fame.

    Crazy Chick Flicks | Ramin Setoodeh | January 31, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • For myself, though I received only a backhanded blow on the chest, I staggered as if I had been struck with a sledgehammer.

    In the Days of My Youth | Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards
  • Korman backhanded him across the throat without looking around, with such force that Gibson staggered back and fell.

    Irresistible Weapon | Horace Brown Fyfe
  • Simms threw the brim of his soft hat up with a backhanded stroke and shook his head.

    The Real Man | Francis Lynde
  • The writing was what is known as "backhanded," in strokes which appeared at first sight to be of a uniform lightness.

    Round the Block | John Bell Bouton
  • Mikah asked, and one of the guards backhanded him to the ground.

    The Ethical Engineer | Henry Maxwell Dempsey

British Dictionary definitions for backhanded

backhanded

/ (ˌbækˈhændɪd) /


adjective
  1. (of a blow, shot, stroke, etc) performed with the arm moving across the body

  2. double-edged; equivocal: a backhanded compliment

  1. (of handwriting) slanting to the left

  2. (of a rope) twisted in the opposite way to the normal right-handed direction

adverb
  1. in a backhanded manner

Derived forms of backhanded

  • backhandedly, adverb
  • backhandedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012