variants
or lambast
1
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
the director lambasted them mercilessly for forgetting their lines during the final dress rehearsal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
movie critics across the country lambasted the film for its contrived plot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
like all westerns, this movie contains the requisite scene of saloon patrons lambasting each other
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lambaste
Desire fires him, cuts him to pieces, lambastes him.
—
Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have lambasted the investigation, potentially complicating Warsh’s path to confirmation.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Mahan also pushed through a plan in San José to arrest people on the street who repeatedly decline offers of shelter, which some progressives lambasted as inhumane.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Ribera has also been outspoken in her views on the current US administration, re-posting a statement by former US President Barack Obama criticizing federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis, for example, and lambasting the US for pulling out of climate agreements.
—Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lambaste
Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have lambasted the investigation, potentially complicating Warsh’s path to confirmation.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Mahan also pushed through a plan in San José to arrest people on the street who repeatedly decline offers of shelter, which some progressives lambasted as inhumane.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Ribera has also been outspoken in her views on the current US administration, re-posting a statement by former US President Barack Obama criticizing federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis, for example, and lambasting the US for pulling out of climate agreements.
—Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lambaste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lambaste
Verb
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As the Sentinel’s Cristobal Reyes has reported, federal judges based in Orlando have scolded prosecutors multiple times in recent weeks for detaining people who should have been set free, with one judge memorably comparing the current actions of ICE to those of a third-world country.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
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Young kids paddled near the shallow edges and bigger kids jumped off the cliffs above the swimming hole, causing the adults to gasp and scold.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mobs attacked television vans and set cars ablaze as overrun hospitals struggled to cope with scores of injured people.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The complication is not well understood but appears to be the result of the virus prompting the immune system to attack a certain protein that some brain cells produce.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since last fall, the Media Research Center, a right-wing organization that criticizes legacy media outlets, has turned its attention on Apple News’ story selection.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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While the vote was unanimous, Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds criticized the majority of her colleagues who approved new contracts with two of the district’s labor groups, United Teachers of Richmond and Teamsters Local 856, the union representing custodial staff, cafeteria workers and others.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump took to social media during the big game’s second half to slam Bad Bunny.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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The parents of the three Miami Yacht Club summer campers who were killed last summer when a 60-foot barge slammed into their sailboat sued the company that owns the barge, alleging negligence and irresponsible hiring.—
Milena Malaver,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This means that bills get hearings, debates happen in public, and legislators are required to vote on issues instead of hiding behind process.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Maybe Mark Kelly and several other dissident members of Congress are hiding the sun in a big bag.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some of us have guest lectured in his law school class on the Arkansas Constitution, and his passion for our state's rich heritage is evident.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
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Katie da Cunha Lewin is a writer based in London, currently lecturing in 20th and 21st-century literature at Coventry University.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To do so would be rude, politically perilous, insulting to our biggest trade partner and just plain weird.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Even if their tastes differ from yours, true friends shouldn’t insult your honest self-expression.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lambaste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lambaste. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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