as in scolds
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 dresses down
Around the same time, Oscar de la Renta sent floor-skimming shirt dresses down the runway, while Stephen Burrows gave sequins a sporty edge in wrap-styles blouses and dresses – perfect for transitioning from work to cocktail parties in the era.
—
Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 19 Dec. 2025
Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 19 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dresses down
Verb
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While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Or on Bluesky with the joke scolds, or on Mastodon with the Linux hackers, or on Threads with the voice-forward brands?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
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Simon Maghakyan lectures on the 20th anniversary of the destruction of Djulfa in December 2025.—
Simon Maghakyan,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For his plight, Corby blames a female co-worker who was hired three years after him but was regularly given better assignments.—
Eric Magnuson,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
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Horvath blames educational technology (EdTech) for these atrophying skillsets, arguing that at the turn of the 21th century and through its first decade and a half, tech companies and advocates pushed a false narrative that the education system was broken, but computers could fix it.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Whatley outlines public safety priorities, criticizes Cooper Beyond the specific proposal, Whatley said public safety would be a central focus of his Senate campaign and potential term in office.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Mar. 2026
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Quintanilla criticizes opponents Johnson and Allred for wealth, stock trades, and immigration votes, positioning himself as a candidate who prioritizes immigrant families, small businesses, drug rehabilitation, senior relief, and local development programs.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dresses down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dresses%20down. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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