What does "backhanded" mean?
simple past and past participle of backhand
Backhanded
/ˈbækˌhændəd/ adj, adv, verb
adj, adv, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: simple past and past participle of backhand
- Grammar: backhanded is listed as adj, adv, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abusive, ambagious, atrocious, backhand.
- Useful contrasts: caress, direct, forthright.
- Usage evidence: The English teacher uses subtle, backhanded compliments that undermine the non-native speakers' abilities.
How to use "backhanded"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "backhanded" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "backhanded" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "backhanded" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "backhanded" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "backhanded" is acting as adj, adv, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abusive" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "backhanded", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 simple past and past participle of backhand form-of, participle, past
Adjective
- 1 With the back of the hand.
"The trader roars like an animal whose paw has been caught in a trap, but he hauls back his other arm and lands a backhanded blow to the side of her head that knocks her sideways onto the babushki bench."
- 2 Involving a backward flip of the hand.
"Some casters can do a cross-body or backhanded cast quite effectively."
- 3 Insincere, sarcastic, ironic, or self-contradictory.
"But modesty here is out of the question, and is often the most beggarly and back-handed friend that merit can have in its pay."
- 4 Indirect.
"Only in grade 5 is he mentioned and in this backhanded way: "George Darwin, son of the famous English scientist, Charles Darwin." . . . But for what is Charles Darwin famous? You won't find it in the California elementary science textbooks."
- 5 Backwards, turned around.
"No one ever believed that Leif meant any harm, but all the luck he brought was backhanded."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 inclining to the left
"In this particular instance the writing begins backhanded, and there is a reversion to the right-handed type, -- an unconscious reversion, which makes me think that is the natural method of writing;"
- 7 Retrospective, occurring after the fact rather than in advance.
"...but that is really a backhanded rent, because I have sold all the produce of my farm six months before I am called upon to pay the last six months' rent."
- 8 Self-serving, corrupt, slipshod, or neglectful.
"Perhaps omitting Weber from footnotes is intended to avenge his backhanded treatment of the American Puritans (and by extension their academic champions), whom he virtually ignored—albeit with unhappy consequences for his own work."
Adjective
- 1 roundabout or ambiguous wordnet
- 2 (of racket strokes) made across the body with back of hand facing direction of stroke wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a backhanded manner.
"As the man crumpled forward, Snow took a further step with his right foot and brought the pole down backhanded with all his power into the right side of the man's head."
Antonyms
Example
"The English teacher uses subtle, backhanded compliments that undermine the non-native speakers' abilities."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "backhanded"?
Common synonyms include: abusive, ambagious, atrocious, backhand, backhand, calumnious.
How do you use "backhanded" in a sentence?
The English teacher uses subtle, backhanded compliments that undermine the non-native speakers' abilities.
How do you pronounce "backhanded"?
Pronounced /ˈbækˌhændəd/.
Etymology
From back + hand + -ed.