variants
or lambasts
1
as in scolds
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 attacks
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 licks
to strike repeatedly
like all westerns, this movie contains the requisite scene of saloon patrons lambasting each other
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lambastes
Orbán frequently lambastes the EU, but its funding helped keep the country afloat despite his disastrous economic policies.
—
Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Desire fires him, cuts him to pieces, lambastes him.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Desire fires him, cuts him to pieces, lambastes him.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lambastes
Verb
-
Or tie scolds to the ducking stool again.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
McMahon likes to remind scolds that wrestling is a morality play.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The president frequently attacks the former FBI director because of his role in investigating alleged ties between the president's 2016 campaign and Russia.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The movement from Odegaard and Zubimendi towards the ball occupies Willock and Guimaraes, while White attacks the space vacated by the Newcastle captain and Havertz drops to provide a passing option.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While Deborah licks her wounds from bombing very, very hard, the Frank interview plays.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
After the drill, Ruin rolls onto his back, then licks a reporter's nose.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The audit also criticizes the city for not trying to boost compliance by issuing fines.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
OpenAI memo criticizes Anthropic watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Now, however, the team behind the new research believes the events are caused when a compact stellar remnant, like a black hole or a neutron star, slams into the universe's hottest class of star, massive stellar bodies called Wolf-Rayet stars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
In other words, automatic registration slams the courthouse door on women, but not on men, because registration is its own injury.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Two-year-old Mala Audio Bar sets its cocktails to the crackle of vintage vinyl, while Konbini hides behind a grocery storefront, opening into a Colombian-Japanese speakeasy where disco and highballs collide amid a beautiful crowd.—
Allie Lazar,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
More than 2,500 shoppers have given it a perfect rating, and reviewers appreciate that the lightweight formula hides dark circles — without settling into fine lines.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
With me, my wife lectures me more than my children.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Woodcutters sets forth the musings of a narrator sitting in an armchair at a dinner party who excoriates the literary awards establishments of his native land (and by extension all lands that are host to a robust bourgeoisie).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lambastes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lambastes. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
