Brickbat: meaning, definitions and examples

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brickbat

 

[ หˆbrษชkหŒbรฆt ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

criticism

A brickbat is a piece of broken brick. It is also used metaphorically to describe harsh criticism or negative remarks directed at someone or something.

Synonyms

attack, criticism, denunciation, rebuke

Examples of usage

  • The politician faced a brickbat from the media after his controversial statement.
  • She threw brickbats at his decision to drop out of college.
  • The critics unleashed a volley of brickbats at the new film.
  • He was tired of receiving brickbats from his colleagues.
Context #2 | Noun

physical object

A brickbat also refers to a fragment of a brick that can be used in construction or as a projectile.

Synonyms

fragment, piece, shard

Examples of usage

  • The builder used brickbats to fill the gaps in the wall.
  • A group of kids threw brickbats during the playful argument.
  • The architect suggested using brickbats for the new design.
  • He collected several brickbats to construct a small structure.

Translations

Translations of the word "brickbat" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น pedra

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคชเคคเฅเคฅเคฐ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Ziegelstein

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ batako

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ั†ะตะณะปะธะฝะฐ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ cegล‚a

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ใƒฌใƒณใ‚ฌ

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท brique

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ ladrillo

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท tuฤŸla

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ๋ฒฝ๋Œ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุทูˆุจ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ cihla

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ tehla

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ็ –ๅ—

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ opek

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ steinn

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ะบั–ั€ะฟั–ัˆ

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒ™แƒ˜แƒ แƒ

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ kษ™rpic

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ ladrillo

Etymology

The term 'brickbat' has its origins in the mid-19th century, deriving from the combination of 'brick', a traditional building material, and 'bat', which means a fragment or piece. The literal meaning refers to a broken piece of brick, but the figurative use evolved as a way to describe sharp, critical remarks that are thrown at individuals or ideas much like a physical brickbat could be thrown as a missile. Over time, it has been adopted in various contexts, especially in media and politics, to describe the act of criticizing or attacking someone publicly. The duality of its meaningsโ€”both as a physical object and as a tool for verbal assaultโ€”demonstrates the versatility of language and how words can gain new connotations based on societal usage.

Word Frequency Rank

At position #40,385, this word is among the less frequently used terms in English. While interesting to know, it's not crucial for most English learners unless needed for specific purposes.