as in whipping
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
some medieval monks believed it was necessary to flagellate themselves in order to keep their desires in check
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellating
Verb
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The windproof and thermal wool blend fabric is the perfect shell to protect you on the many fall days in Paris, as the whipping wind adds an unexpected cool factor while strolling around town.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025 -
Strong, whipping winds are expected to continue across Jamaica throughout the night.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This mismatch between perception and reality has real consequences, fueling the notion that higher education as a whole is elitist and out of touch, hiding the work of the colleges that educate millions of working- and middle-class families.—
Yolanda Watson Spiva,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Then keep scrolling to shop more of the best pieces hiding in Pottery Barn’s outlet now.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This month, however, the USDA is slashing the maximum benefit roughly in half, so households with even modest incomes will see much steeper reductions that those with none.—
JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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In the first half of the year, Tesla suffered from falling revenue as anti-Musk protesters picketed Tesla showrooms to denounce his role in slashing foreign aid and other government spending.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Despite his mediator role, Rodríguez is also known for his explosive temperament, lashing out in Congress and publicly threatening and insulting members of the opposition.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Jan. 2026
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Trump spent most of 2025 downplaying the significance of the files, at times lashing out against Republicans who demanded the release of information about other potential perpetrators.—
Stephen Fowler,
NPR,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Older supporters will remember it well and, if anyone from the younger generation wants a glimpse into those times, perhaps a good place to start is by flicking through the pages of The Complete History Of Manchester City, written by football historian Gary James and published in 1997.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins’ majority owner since 2009, is now looking for his eighth different head coach in a parade of floundering, flailing and failing.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
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On Netflix Summer 2026 | Comedy A forty-year-old executive hopes to save his flailing career by joining a group of twenty-somethings on a wild three-day bachelor party, after he’s inadvertently added to their group text.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Others have called out the boring marketing campaign based around flogging variants in order for Swift to finally beat the record for the biggest opening sales week for a female artist in history (currently held by Adele, which she is likely projected to break).—
Bianca Davino,
Refinery29,
7 Oct. 2025
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The only thing tougher to watch than the Bengals’ offense on Sunday was Browning flogging himself over the failure.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mimicking what happened seven years earlier after the Dallas playoff win in Charlotte, the players ran back outside and took a lap around the stadium, slapping hands with delirious home fans.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
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That means not just the sound of rubber slapping the pavement or the whir of electric motors—the soundtrack of a Formula E race—but something new and artificial or, more generously, bespoke.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
15 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Flagellating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellating. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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