backlash
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a strong, negative reaction by a large group of people against something that has happened.
n.a sudden and strong adverse reaction by a significant segment of the public to a social or political development.
Simple“The government faced a huge backlash from voters after they decided to raise taxes.”
In context“The fashion brand experienced a severe public backlash after their latest advertising campaign was accused of being culturally insensitive.”
UsageOften used with the prepositions 'against' or 'from'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
n.the small amount of movement or looseness between parts of a machine that are connected.
n.the clearance or 'play' between mating components in a mechanical system, such as gears, which results in a delay or lost motion.
Simple“The old steering wheel had too much backlash, making the car hard to control.”
In context“Precision engineering requires the minimisation of backlash within the gear assembly to ensure accurate positioning in robotic arms.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to react in a sudden and angry way to something.
v.to manifest a strong, sudden, and adverse reaction to a specific cause or event.
Simple“The community began to backlash against the new construction project in the park.”
In context“Market forces may backlash if the central bank implements such aggressive interest rate hikes without sufficient warning.”
From back- + lash.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.