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
-
Following Putin’s scolding of his aides on Wednesday, the central bank chief said Thursday that Russia’s unemployment rate remained at a historic low of 2% as the war created a lack of available workers, forcing employers to compete for staff.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The scolding was met with more meows and barks.—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 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
-
And this is where the second component of the performance-lecture’s effectiveness comes in, specifically for artists who work with technology and the internet as their subject and medium.—
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
-
Earlier this week, Scott Agness claimed his press credentials were revoked by the team after his reporting led to the WNBA reprimanding the Fever for not being transparent about Clark’s health status during a game on May 20.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
-
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
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
-
The right lesson is that women need the economic conditions that make long-term investment sensible.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Rodrigo eventually countered that her detractors were blaming the wrong person.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
On Thursday, the company was sued by a Canadian blaming the chatbot for her daughter’s decision to hang herself.—
Bernard Condon,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
This is a really good writer-talking-to-another-writer question.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Never underestimate the combined powers of a Liv Benson talking-to and a New York slice.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he’s gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that’s hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.—
Aamer Madhani,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
-
The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he's gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that's hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dressing-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dressing-down. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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