CALLING DOWN Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

calling down

verb

present participle of call down

as in scolding

to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings I was called down by my supervisor for not catching the accounting error sooner

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for calling down

Verb

Soon though, Shawna noticed some of Zaayer's strange behaviors — including scolding her grandson, getting upset over cleaning habits and allegedly showing them racist videos.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Justice Barrett actually sounded kind of sharp, almost scolding, in the opinion in her criticism of the assertions made by the plaintiffs and some of the justices in the minority.

— John E. Jones III, The Conversation, 1 July 2026

Definition of scolding

Verb

College professors spend less time lecturing than a typical sportswriter creating fake controversies to criticize.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026
If and until that day comes, there will be fingerpointing, lecturing and posturing, all of which has flowed freely in the wake of the Sorsby decision.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 June 2026

Definition of lecturing

Verb

Hardline politicians slammed the president’s unorthodox choice of attire and activists accused him of double standards, where under Iran’s strict dress codes, ordinary people would be barred from dressing down.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
The Southern California congresswoman was known for driving a minivan and dressing down CEOs with a white board exposing their financial excesses.

— Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 2 June 2026

Definition of dressing down

Verb

Her Volumnia bellows at her meek daughter-in-law, Virgilia (Justine Faith) as though reprimanding an incompetent private.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Earlier this week, Scott Agness claimed his press credentials were revoked by the team after his reporting led to the WNBA reprimanding the Fever for not being transparent about Clark’s health status during a game on May 20.

— Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026

Definition of reprimanding

Verb

Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had again been aggressively criticizing NATO for its lack of support over Iran and for failing to spend anywhere near enough money on its own security.

— Justina Lee, CNBC, 10 July 2026
That didn't stop the public from criticizing the weekend congestion.

— Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Definition of criticizing

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calling

calling down

calling (for)

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“Calling down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calling%20down. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of calling down

verb

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