backlash

noun

Definition of backlashnext
as in reaction
a strong public response against something There was swift backlash to the senator's controversial comments.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backlash The backlash in Wisconsin to data center construction has the candidates for governor from both parties quickly adjusting their midterms campaign messaging. — October 25, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026 But following intense backlash to the 2024 anti-war protests, some students, faculty and external observers say campuses have become uncharacteristically quiet. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Election forecaster Cook Political Report shifted Ohio’s gubernatorial race toward Democratic candidate Amy Acton on Friday after a week of backlash over an ad Republican Vivek Ramaswamy ran featuring her estranged mother. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2026 In response to this backlash, Meta is now delaying its new terms entirely. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for backlash
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backlash
reaction
Noun
  • The vaccine’s side effects were mainly the sore arm, fatigue and other reactions typical of mRNA coronavirus vaccination, MD Anderson's Tawbi said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The vaccine’s side effects were mainly the sore arm, fatigue and other reactions typical of mRNA coronavirus vaccination, Tawbi said.
    — Lauren Neergaard, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of reaction

Browse Nearby Words

backlands
backlash
backlashes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Backlash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backlash. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All