Etymology
Origin of barbed
Explanation
Something that's barbed is sharp or spiky. Barbed wire has very sharp points at intervals along its length, to keep animals or people in (or out of) a yard. Roses are famous for their sweet blossoms and barbed stems. A fish hook is also barbed, with a sharp spike on its end. You can use barbed figuratively, to describe cruel or biting words: "Her barbed comment made it clear how angry she was after the practical joke he'd played on her." The root of barbed is the Old French word for "beard," or "something beardlike," barbe, from the Latin barba, also "beard."
Vocabulary lists containing barbed
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Seedfolks
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This Week in Words: October 22 - 27, 2017
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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.
My coffee table is made of aluminum and resembles barbed wire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
I had expected a prison van but instead a small, grey Hyundai i30 hatchback drove past us at speed and into the secure compound behind a security gate and barbed wire perimeter.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Before Sánchez took office, he railed against the barbed wire fence crisscrossing Ceuta’s ridgeline, claiming Spain had a moral duty toward refugees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Ann Widdecombe was pugnacious, charismatic, barbed and yes, had a sense of silliness too.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Inside is a dead butterfly—one that fluttered over the barbed wire and into our classroom a year ago.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
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.
