backhanded

American  

[bak-han-did] / ˈbækˌhæn dɪd /

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.

3. oblique or ambiguous in meaning; indirect; insincere or malicious; wry.

   backhanded methods; a backhanded compliment.

4. 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.

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adverb

1. with the hand across the body; backhand.

   He caught the ball backhanded.

backhanded British  

/ ˌbækˈhændɪd /

adjective

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

2. double-edged; equivocal

   a backhanded compliment

3. (of handwriting) slanting to the left

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

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adverb

1. in a backhanded manner

Other Word Forms

• backhandedly
  adverb
• backhandedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of backhanded

First recorded in 1790–1800; back ² + handed

Example Sentences

Steve Backhanded compliments; when a best friend knows best.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2019

Backhanded compliment or not, the absences read like a who’s who of Virginia politics.

From Washington Post • Jul. 16, 2016

Backhanded Tribute The Soviet campaign of sweetness and light changed abruptly to the hurtling of thunderbolts a month ago.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• sarcastic