backhandedness
Compliment with sting
Backhandedness is the quality of being indirect, ambiguous, or insincere, particularly in compliments or remarks that seem positive on the surface but carry a veiled insult or criticism.
A backhanded compliment like You're so articulate for someone your age demonstrates this quality perfectly—praise that stings.
The term can also refer simply to the use of the backhand in sports like tennis, though this sense is far less common than the figurative one describing passive-aggressive communication.
Insult disguised as praise
- double-edgedHaving opposite effects
- veiledConcealed or obscured
- disguisedConcealed true identity
- ambiguousHaving multiple interpretations
patronizing · condescending · snide · sarcastic · ironic · sardonic · mocking · sneering
Indirect, usually negative suggestion
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- implicationIndirect suggestion or consequence
- obliquenessLack of directness
- evasionAct of escaping detection
circumlocution · veiled · roundabout · allusive · subtext · equivocation · covert · tangential
Sudden brain blood blockage
- slicePortion cut off
- topspinForward ball rotation
- backspinReverse rotation on ball
- one-handedDone with one limb
two-handed · grip · crosscourt · groundstroke · volley · return · swing · follow-through
left-handed compliment
Insult disguised as praise
- double-edgedHaving opposite effects
- veiledConcealed or obscured
- disguisedConcealed true identity
ambiguous · patronizing · condescending · snide · sarcastic · ironic · sardonic · mocking · sneering · passive-aggressive
insinuation
Indirect, usually negative suggestion
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- implicationIndirect suggestion or consequence
- obliquenessLack of directness
evasion · circumlocution · veiled · roundabout · allusive · subtext · equivocation · covert · tangential · sidestep
stroke
Sudden brain blood blockage
one-handed · two-handed · grip · crosscourt · groundstroke · volley · return · swing · follow-through · footwork
backhandednesssincerity
Honest, unfeigned genuineness
genuineness · earnestness · candor · warmth · good faith
backhandednessdirectness
Quality of being straightforward
straightforwardness · forthrightness · plainspokenness · bluntness · frankness
underhanded, underhand, backhand, forehand, backhanded, backhander, backhands, backhanding, backhandedly