as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
there's no need to keelhaul him—it was an honest mistake, and a small one at that
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keelhauled
Verb
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Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026 -
The victim said he was singled out for laughing, scolded, and told to continue reading before being ordered into the hallway.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Verb
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More than five weeks later, the suit states, the city manager reprimanded Kennedy.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
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Years ago, a Saudi royal court official reprimanded me for describing the kingdom as a land of conditional opportunity.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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For years, states such as New York and California have been run by politicians who seem to believe prosperity is permanent — an endless resource to be taxed a little more, regulated a little harder and lectured a little longer.—
Larry Clifton,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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Ratmoko is also a photographer, writer, and scholar who has lectured on intercultural communication schools including Yale University and the University of Zurich.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Each side has blamed the other for ceasefire violations.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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The report, which was reviewed by The Times, blamed the issue on lax oversight and confusion among officers about when they were required to press record.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Keelhauled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keelhauled. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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