as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
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Recent Examples of dressed down
Robin Raven, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Yet, they can still be dressed down with a tank top or T-shirt.
—Robin Raven, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dressed down
Verb
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Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
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The heartwarming video, shared on Saturday by @inboxunknown15, shows the pup sitting head down, facing the wall, looking sad and ashamed after being scolded by his owner’s girlfriend.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Long sought-after by fans, Electric Nebraska is the informal title of the album that Springsteen and the E Street Band recorded in 1982 from a collection of demos for his follow-up to The River.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Oct. 2025
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Use just one to three large informal dahlias with smaller additions like spray roses, cosmos, eucalyptus, or larkspur.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Clarke and his business partner sold photographs and films, wrote and lectured about their adventures, and began treasure hunting.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Sep. 2025
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Vance lectured Zelenskyy and argued the wartime leader hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military assistance the United States has given to his country.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Cosmedica’s advantage is its process aimed at achieving a soft, age-appropriate, and natural-looking hairline that blends into everyday life.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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The bottom line is that societal views on motherhood and family have real implications for everyday people — especially mothers with similar circumstances but less money than Cardi B.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There is a form of right-of-center liberalism that is content with status hierarchies, that is very unhappy with anything that makes people feel reprimanded.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
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The college was being reprimanded amid allegations of antisemitism on campus and activism led in part by Mahmoud Khalil, a foreign student organizing against Israel’s war in Gaza.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The soft, stretchy fabric and elastic waistband keep them comfortable, while the sleek design works for fitness classes, errands, or even a casual night out.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
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The onboard 6-watt speaker delivered good enough quality for casual use and is loud enough for a small to medium-sized family room.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Stokes apparently called down to Bell, who answered.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Some of their struggles can be blamed on a tough slate of defenses.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Shackleton blamed the sinking of the Endurance on the destruction of its rudder; for more than a century, historians accepted this explanation.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dressed down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressed%20down. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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