back-patting
Americannoun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In that interview, Cameron said, "All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood's been doing over 'Wonder Woman' has been so misguided. She's an objectified icon, and it's just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!"
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2022
Nevertheless, she got a lot of back-patting and huzzahs from her followers.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
The script’s self-important, back-patting, “Women can be warriors too!” attitude around that plot point matches very oddly with its frankness everywhere else about how Hamilton and Davis handle their fights.
From The Verge ● Nov. 1, 2019
A month had passed since the bill he co-wrote establishing a congressional review of an Iran nuclear deal passed on a veto-proof vote, generating an unusual spate of bipartisan back-patting.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2015
With the men, Victor is jovial and back-patting, asking twice for their names, as if he means to pass on a compliment or a complaint.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
