as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of dressed down
Tory Johnson, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The Burlesque star dressed down her jewels in a effortlessly cool black sweat set.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 10 Mar. 2026
This off-the-shoulder dress is a solid in-between option, since it can be dressed up with wedges or dressed down with flat sandals.
—Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
If someone is dressed up in a space that is dressed down, for instance, there’s humor to it.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2026
The handy bag goes with just about any outfit and can be dressed down for dog walks or dressed up for dinner out on the town.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026
While Haim dressed down her look with a low-key ponytail and barely-there makeup, Swift stuck to her usual glam with cat-eye liner and signature red lip.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Dec. 2025
The shoe comes in two colors, each of which look great dressed up or dressed down, and will only get better with each wear.
—Will Porter, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Even dressed down in a minimalist white button-down blouse, vintage Levi’s and pearl earrings, Scherzinger exudes the kind of glamour visible from outer space.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
These beautiful styles will take you from day to night, dressed up or dressed down.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The Burlesque star dressed down her jewels in a effortlessly cool black sweat set.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 10 Mar. 2026
This off-the-shoulder dress is a solid in-between option, since it can be dressed up with wedges or dressed down with flat sandals.
—Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
If someone is dressed up in a space that is dressed down, for instance, there’s humor to it.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2026
The handy bag goes with just about any outfit and can be dressed down for dog walks or dressed up for dinner out on the town.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026
While Haim dressed down her look with a low-key ponytail and barely-there makeup, Swift stuck to her usual glam with cat-eye liner and signature red lip.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Dec. 2025
The shoe comes in two colors, each of which look great dressed up or dressed down, and will only get better with each wear.
—Will Porter, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Even dressed down in a minimalist white button-down blouse, vintage Levi’s and pearl earrings, Scherzinger exudes the kind of glamour visible from outer space.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dressed down
Adjective
-
Crain requested an informal report on data centers from city staff on Monday, March 23.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
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By the end of production, Simmonds was running informal signing tests with the rest of the cast on set during breaks.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the Commission's chairman, Brendan Carr, scolded Amazon last week, saying the company should focus on its own satellite efforts, rather than criticize SpaceX.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
17 Mar. 2026
-
In Zambrano’s case, Gee scolded the government over how the detention unfolded.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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At the time, Husted argued that photo ID was a light burden for voters, given how many aspects of everyday life require it.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
-
By combining durability, efficiency, and low cost, the new approach brings fuel cells closer to everyday use.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Joanna Fabicon, who has lectured on contemporary children’s literature at UCLA, added that educators, librarians and publishers must all grapple with the allegations against Chávez and decide how to move forward.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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Thiel has previously written and lectured on the subject, arguing that the Antichrist is not necessarily a person but could come as a global government system.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The podcast aesthetic—casual, long-winded, sometimes profane—directly opposes, perhaps not coincidentally, the sterility and bizarre right-this-minute quality of cable news, on which everything seems incomplete and therefore manipulative, and yet somehow endless.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2026
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The result is a smaller but more engaged core market — one that is spending more per household even as casual participation declines.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If this is for a work assignment, the consequence could be getting reprimanded for either taking too long or producing work of sub-par quality.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
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That’s part of it, sometimes, but multiple girls do that this week and then get reprimanded for not having enough family resemblance.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ming opened up her fourth floor window and called down to the firefighters below.—
Kate Talerico,
San Francisco Chronicle,
19 Jan. 2026
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Derpetrossian was working with a hot shot crew with the Angeles National Forest when he got called down to help fight fires that were popping up around Los Angeles while the Palisades Fire wreaked havoc on the city’s Westside.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The composer John Kander blamed Minnelli’s fitful acting career on the appetites of her fan base.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Republicans blamed Democrats for blocking efforts to fully fund DHS.—
Arden Farhi,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dressed down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressed%20down. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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