as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026 -
The victim said he was singled out for laughing, scolded, and told to continue reading before being ordered into the hallway.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Proctor bragged about properly hydrating himself before practice, which is something past and present Dolphins coaches and trainers annually lecture the newcomers about to avoid dehydration, and the use of intravenous fluids.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2026
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For years, states such as New York and California have been run by politicians who seem to believe prosperity is permanent — an endless resource to be taxed a little more, regulated a little harder and lectured a little longer.—
Larry Clifton,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Years ago, a Saudi royal court official reprimanded me for describing the kingdom as a land of conditional opportunity.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
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Israeli leaders later disavowed the incident and said that he would be reprimanded, and assisted local residents in replacing the statue.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Even the New York State Police had been called down to join, and were standing around in their purple ties and Dudley Do-Right hats.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
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At another point, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called down to Earth to NASA’s IT specialists on the ground to report that both versions of Microsoft’s email program Outlook installed on his computer were not working.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Each side has blamed the other for ceasefire violations.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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Italy blamed Egypt for Regeni’s killing.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
Verb
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True freshman receiver Hayden Moore from has been an early surprise challenger for first-team reps in spring ball, but the Gainesville, Fla., native, who just left high school, was chewed out and then subbed off for messing up early in Tuesday’s practice.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
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Instead of the standard chewing out, the senior played a clip of his freshman defensive back counterpart recognizing a screen, shedding a block and securing the first solo tackle of his career against No. 5 Georgia last week.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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At the awards ceremony closing the Berlinale, some winners used their acceptance speeches to support Palestinians and criticize Israel over its war in Gaza.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
10 May 2026
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Additionally, Pashinyan has opted to expand Armenia’s partnerships with Western governments, something that has been sharply criticized by Russian officials.—
Mark Temnycky,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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As my mother bawled out her lungs, the doctor and the nurses remained speechless, stunned not only by my disproportionate weight but also by my appearance: a Chinese Buddha whose eyes were unmoving, untrusting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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Trippier and Burn are organisers and not afraid to bawl out their team-mates.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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