backlash

[ bak-lash ]

noun

1. a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
2. a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change:

   a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.

3. Machinery.
   1. the space between the thickness of a gear tooth and the width of the space between teeth in the mating gear, designed to allow for a film of lubricant, binding from heat expansion and eccentricity, or manufacturing inaccuracies.
   2. play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.
4. Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or undergo a backlash.

backlash

/ ˈbækˌlæʃ /

noun

1. a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism
2. the play between parts
3. a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social development

   a public backlash against the government is inevitable

Word History and Origins

Origin of backlash¹

First recorded in 1805–15; back ² + lash ¹

Example Sentences

An adviser to Doug Emhoff claimed Wednesday that Vice President Kamala Harris skipped an opportunity to appear on Joe Rogan's podcast over fears of a progressive "backlash."

From Salon

“There was a backlash with some of our progressive staff that didn’t want her to be on it, and how there would be a backlash,” said Jennifer Palmieri, an adviser to Harris' husband Doug Emhoff, per the Financial Times.

From Salon

Barrymore also received some backlash both last year and earlier this year in interviews with both Oprah Winfrey and Kamala Harris, both times due to her physical proximity to both women, as well as her referencing "Momala," which Salon's Senior Critic Melanie McFarland deemed "a cringefest" back in May.

From Salon

There has been a growing backlash from firms to the higher costs they face from the Budget, but chancellor Rachel Reeves has said "businesses will have to absorb some of this through profits".

From BBC

The state has become more purple over the last decade, a shift that pundits long attributed to the Latino backlash over SB 1070, a 2010 anti-immigrant bill.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• reaction
• repercussion
• resentment
• resistance
• response
• retaliation