as in lecturing
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scolding
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Recent Examples of dressing-down
Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
Donald Trump’s dressing-down of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House was a lightning strike to the transatlantic alliance, dispelling lingering illusions in Europe about whether their American cousin will stand with them to counter Russian aggression.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
Victoria expects that Tim — her confident, successful, morally upright husband — will give this phony guru a good dressing-down.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Kyiv have risen to a boiling point, culminating in a spectacular public dressing-down of Ukraine’s Zelenskyy last Friday by U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
Nine goals, a 30-minute hat-trick, an unlikely comeback, a last-gasp winner, comedic errors and a dressing-down on the pitch at full-time, all played out in teeming rain in Lisbon, made this a night to remember.
—Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
Nothing, perhaps, has grated more than last month’s Oval Office dressing-down of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
—Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
Donald Trump’s dressing-down of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House was a lightning strike to the transatlantic alliance, dispelling lingering illusions in Europe about whether their American cousin will stand with them to counter Russian aggression.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
Victoria expects that Tim — her confident, successful, morally upright husband — will give this phony guru a good dressing-down.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Kyiv have risen to a boiling point, culminating in a spectacular public dressing-down of Ukraine’s Zelenskyy last Friday by U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
Nine goals, a 30-minute hat-trick, an unlikely comeback, a last-gasp winner, comedic errors and a dressing-down on the pitch at full-time, all played out in teeming rain in Lisbon, made this a night to remember.
—Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dressing-down
Noun
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The scolding came after Combs seemingly nodded at jurors during Bongolan’s testimony about the balcony incident.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
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Neither his pressure on the Ukrainian leader, who Trump lambasted in the Oval Office, nor his recent scolding of the Kremlin ruler appear to have pushed the two sides any closer to a peace deal.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Faculty across the state rebuked it as an infringement on academic freedom and warned of a mass chilling effect on free speech and lecturing on divisive topics.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Leaders listen instead of lecturing.—
W. Jeff Williams,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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At an early lecture of Alaoui’s, one silent member of the audience seems unusually intent on his words.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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Each lecture in the series is free for Birch Aquarium members and $12 for non-members.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There was a level of anticipation at the start of Wolves’ summer, thanks to an influx of transfer cash and some signals that Fosun, the club’s owners, had learned lessons from previous windows.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Benefits include access to advance booking on courts, no booking fees for padel, $1,000 worth of merchandise, discounts on lessons, clinics, tournaments and leagues.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Never underestimate the combined powers of a Liv Benson talking-to and a New York slice.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
16 Jan. 2025
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Roberts pulled the reliever in, gave him what seemed like a fatherly talking-to, and – after Ramirez got out of the inning with the very next pitch – noted that sometimes the best course is not to yell and scream at a player.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Orange County Register,
30 May 2024
Noun
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That the Sky’s punishment will last longer than five minutes is merely a reflection of their place in the standings.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Inter Miami players Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Tomas Aviles, and Seattle Sounders staff member Steven Lenhart, received multiple game suspensions from the 2026 Leagues Cup as punishment for their behavior during a post-game brawl following Sunday’s Leagues Cup final.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
My top makeup tip right now would be to come away from lashes that are so heavy.—
Akili King,
Essence,
27 Aug. 2025
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The formula uses beeswax and black tea to give you genuinely smudge-free lashes for up to 12 hours, which is particularly welcome during Europe’s sticky summer days.—
Angela Lei,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Like legions of dreamers before him, McGuirk started on film and TV sets as a PA, an often thankless job where random castigations from members of the cast or crew can be par for the course.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dressing-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressing-down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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