as in scolding
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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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Recent Examples of dressing-down
Jessica Lipsky, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This change comes after Grok received a dressing-down from users and international officials for complying with requests to digitally undress women and underage girls or create sexualized deep fakes of them without their consent.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
That spectacle was followed by a very public dressing-down of Zelensky by Trump and Vance in the Oval Office.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sat in the Oval Office and endured a brutal dressing-down.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Staying Grounded Under Fire: How to Lead with Emotional Resilience
One client faced a public dressing-down from his boss during a project meeting.
—Naz Beheshti, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
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
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
Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
The Southern California congresswoman was known for driving a minivan and dressing down CEOs with a white board exposing their financial excesses.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
Mullin pulled no punches in dressing down Democrats for the delay.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
During her six-year tenure, Porter often went viral for wielding a whiteboard to emphasize her points while dressing down corporate executives in congressional hearings.
—Lia Russell
february 19, Sacbee.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The point of dressing down is to show solidarity with those fighting NF, which impacts 1 in every 2,500 people.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2026
The cozy piece marked an ideal autumnal staple, with a multifaceted design for dressing up or dressing down, depending on the occasion.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
The timeless look is versatile enough for dressing down with a pair of jeans and a sweater or elevating with a maxi dress and some gold jewelry.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 1 Oct. 2025
For the first stretch of Erupcja, Charli almost dissolves into the screen, not like an outsize personality who’s dressing down for a part, but like someone who isn’t able to repurpose her considerable ability to hold our attention — or to give us any sense of what’s on her character’s mind.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
And while this dressing-down of beloved works might seem like another bummer in a world of doomscrolling, @heartthrobanderson is anything but.
—Jessica Lipsky, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This change comes after Grok received a dressing-down from users and international officials for complying with requests to digitally undress women and underage girls or create sexualized deep fakes of them without their consent.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
That spectacle was followed by a very public dressing-down of Zelensky by Trump and Vance in the Oval Office.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sat in the Oval Office and endured a brutal dressing-down.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Staying Grounded Under Fire: How to Lead with Emotional Resilience
One client faced a public dressing-down from his boss during a project meeting.
—Naz Beheshti, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
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
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
Hardline politicians slammed the president’s unorthodox choice of attire and activists accused him of double standards, where under Iran’s strict dress codes, ordinary people would be barred from dressing down.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
The Southern California congresswoman was known for driving a minivan and dressing down CEOs with a white board exposing their financial excesses.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
Mullin pulled no punches in dressing down Democrats for the delay.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
During her six-year tenure, Porter often went viral for wielding a whiteboard to emphasize her points while dressing down corporate executives in congressional hearings.
—Lia Russell
february 19, Sacbee.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The point of dressing down is to show solidarity with those fighting NF, which impacts 1 in every 2,500 people.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2026
The cozy piece marked an ideal autumnal staple, with a multifaceted design for dressing up or dressing down, depending on the occasion.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
The timeless look is versatile enough for dressing down with a pair of jeans and a sweater or elevating with a maxi dress and some gold jewelry.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 1 Oct. 2025
For the first stretch of Erupcja, Charli almost dissolves into the screen, not like an outsize personality who’s dressing down for a part, but like someone who isn’t able to repurpose her considerable ability to hold our attention — or to give us any sense of what’s on her character’s mind.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dressing-down
Noun
-
The scolding is surprising since the FCC usually doesn’t comment on pending satellite applications.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The scolding came after Heuermann’s lawyer, Michael Brown, introduced a new stack of motions further challenging evidence in the infamous murder case on Monday evening, the Post reported.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
College professors spend less time lecturing than a typical sportswriter creating fake controversies to criticize.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
If and until that day comes, there will be fingerpointing, lecturing and posturing, all of which has flowed freely in the wake of the Sorsby decision.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Jacobs staged a performance-lecture at Giorno Poetry Systems in May, and Citarella’s live taping of his podcast, Doomscroll, counted toward his participation in the 2026 Whitney Biennial.—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
16 June 2026
-
The event will also include a lecture series by local historians and scholars about the arts on display.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Tax cuts and spending cuts have to go hand in hand, otherwise the cycle starts all over again as deficit spending goes up and tax hikes come calling down the road to plug the hole.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
For Rick Berres, owner of Honey-Doers, the lesson learned was that color drenching often suits smaller spaces better than larger ones.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
14 June 2026
-
Sheeran took every lesson to heart, and the results continue to pay dividends.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
If something’s not done as far as reprimanding, what will that do to him as a student?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
In footage that circulated on social media after Sunday's telecast, the 35-year-old Best Supporting Actress nominee and recording artist was shown reprimanding someone off camera while others stepped between them.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is a really good writer-talking-to-another-writer question.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Looks like a lot of fans are blaming the refs, a classic coping mechanism!—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Blaming Ray, then blaming his disease.—
Adeline Goss,
New Yorker,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dressing-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressing-down. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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