backlash

[ bak-lash ]

noun

1. a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
2. a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change:

   a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.

3. Machinery.
   1. the space between the thickness of a gear tooth and the width of the space between teeth in the mating gear, designed to allow for a film of lubricant, binding from heat expansion and eccentricity, or manufacturing inaccuracies.
   2. play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.
4. Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or undergo a backlash.

backlash

/ ˈbækˌlæʃ /

noun

1. a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism
2. the play between parts
3. a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social development

   a public backlash against the government is inevitable

Word History and Origins

Origin of backlash¹

First recorded in 1805–15; back ² + lash ¹

Example Sentences

The backlash to unrest in the ’60s gave the country Richard Nixon, one study found.

From Vox

This lack of oversight led to situations like the mask backlash that resulted in all the major exhibitors reversing course to require face coverings.

From Fortune

The Catholic Church considered the bloomers worn by female players as inappropriate and women’s basketball faced a backlash.

From Ozy

That project, known as Renape, faced criticism from within the military and a backlash from the government technicians building it because of its lack of transparency and the threats it posed to freedom and privacy.

From MIT Technology Review

The decision immediately sparked a backlash, as researchers accused the lab of pulling a stunt.

From MIT Technology Review

None of these, though, has inspired quite the same backlash as fluoride.

From The Daily Beast

They know they will face either a swift backlash or deafening silence.

From The Daily Beast

The state was in a deep recession as Duke galvanized a racial backlash.

From The Daily Beast

Facing a political backlash, they reversed course in 2011 and announced that the military commission process would be restarted.

From The Daily Beast

Vieira dumped his personal Facebook page a few weeks ago, partly in anticipation of more backlash that will come with the show.

From The Daily Beast

But he was sure of its source; it had not been any backlash of the Red caller!

From Project Gutenberg

Extrapolating Russian history, it would be reasonable to expect a backlash in the form of a counterrevolution.

From Project Gutenberg

As these unpleasant truths emerge, the bitterness, resentment and disillusionment will grow and a backlash will develop.

From Project Gutenberg

The backlash of that blast must have caught the majority of the lights also.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• reaction
• repercussion
• resentment
• resistance
• response
• retaliation