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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as in scolding
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Recent Examples of dressing-down
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
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
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
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
Noun
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
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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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This is the last organization that should be lecturing anyone about respecting the game.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
-
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
Noun
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Instead of giving a long lecture on the subject, the teacher shares a 5 minute video highlighting the main events of the war.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
10 Sep. 2025
-
However, the first module typically is a single video lecture introducing the class.—
Jill Duffy,
PC Magazine,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Newsweek's Health Care Editor Alexis Kayser led many of the panel discussions and was joined by Newsweek's Global Head of Research Duncan Ross on stage to share the key takeaways about the key lessons that audience members can implement in their own workplaces.—
Lauren Giella,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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For employers everywhere, the lesson is that embedding pathways to opportunity in your culture is a strong shield against anything over the horizon.—
Ryan Stowers,
Forbes.com,
16 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
-
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
-
By embedding halfway houses into the federal transition process, Bush underscored his belief that effective reentry programs could reduce recidivism and strengthen families, turning correctional policy toward rehabilitation as much as punishment.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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On Friday, Major League Baseball downgraded Chapman’s punishment to an undisclosed find, which was also part of the original punishment.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The flat edge lays down product, the rounded side buffs and blends, and the precision tip gets into all the hard-to-reach areas like nostrils and lash lines.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Testament to the ongoing K-beauty boom, Riddle also used lash extensions from South Korea in lieu of mascara.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
16 Sep. 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 19 Sep. 2025.
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