1
as in scolds
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
her husband flayed her constantly for her incessant shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flays
Verb
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This cross-partisan skit is refreshing and the only people who might hate it are Cuomo supporters and maybe some woke scolds.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026 -
On our hike, Jessie Krebs scolds her boots for sliding on a slick, house-size boulder.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Vought Rising — but Jensen Ackles can't leave the set until someone peels him out of his costume.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Mar. 2026
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These are all native plants, but there are also non-native options such as paperbark maple (Acer griseum), with coppery bark that peels decoratively.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When not writing, May frequently lectures on the politics and policies of mass incarceration for university classes, academic conferences, and online events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
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With me, my wife lectures me more than my children.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Heck, even our beloved pup, Dale, barks whenever a squirrel’s hiding in the networking hardware!—
Jed Feiman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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On these tracks Slayyyter uses her voice as a much blunter instrument than before, paring back the melisma and amping up the chants, barks, and outright screams.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This has actually been a plot point of The Pitt’s second season, with a cyber-hack forcing the hospital to temporarily bring back hospital clerk Monica, who blames her layoff on the hospital overly digitizing.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
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The Florida Justice Association — the trial lawyer lobby — spent millions to stop the reforms Maxwell now blames for failing consumers.—
David Wilson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Schiavo raised a similar concern, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board regularly criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators for not implementing obvious solutions, even after accidents occur.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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Gigerenzer criticizes them as ethically problematic and argues that public policy should emphasize education over subtle choice manipulation.—
Alejandro Hortal-Sánchez,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Flays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flays. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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