What does "backhandedness" mean?
The quality of being backhanded; The use of a backward flip of the hand.
Backhandedness
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The quality of being backhanded; The use of a backward flip of the hand.
- Grammar: backhandedness is listed as noun.
- Usage evidence: Bjorn Borg, 18, wins French, and the three of them change the game, guiding the world to two-fisted backhandedness.
How to use "backhandedness"
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Meaning check
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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 "backhandedness" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The quality of being backhanded; The use of a backward flip of the hand. uncountable
"Bjorn Borg, 18, wins French, and the three of them change the game, guiding the world to two-fisted backhandedness."
- 2 The quality of being backhanded; Insincerity, irony, or sarcasm. uncountable
"The backhandedness of the compliment suddenly struck him, and he squeezed his eyes shut at the gaffe."
- 3 The quality of being backhanded; Indirection. uncountable
"The backhandedness of this procedure reflects the fact that null hypothesis tests are motivated by rhetorical considerations."
- 4 The quality of being backhanded; Leftward slant. uncountable
"If it is, as one supposes, the same scribe who wrote the verso, his backhandedness had been cured by putting the tablet in a better position."
- 5 The quality of being backhanded; Backwardness of direction. uncountable
"It would be easy to draw a popular conclusion that this backhandedness of the language proves the backwardness of their civilization, and the fact that the Turk ought to go way back and sit down in remote Asia"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The quality of being backhanded; Deceit or neglect. uncountable
"Russell's clandestine attempt to initiate diplomatic contact with the Confederacy left an image of backhandedness that substantiated Seward's direst premonitions about British self-interest."
Example
"Bjorn Borg, 18, wins French, and the three of them change the game, guiding the world to two-fisted backhandedness."
Common questions
How do you use "backhandedness" in a sentence?
Bjorn Borg, 18, wins French, and the three of them change the game, guiding the world to two-fisted backhandedness.
Etymology
From backhanded + -ness.