as in scolding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
several readers called in to rag the editor for his paper's repeated grammatical lapses
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Recent Examples of ragging
In November, Green spoke to PEOPLE at the 2025 CMA Awards in Nashville, and shared a similar story about his friends ragging on him for being crowned Sexiest Country Star Alive.
—
Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ragging
Verb
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First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
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Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Should the guy who spends his spare time dodging bullets really be lecturing him on death wishes?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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The irony here is that after spending decades lecturing China about the merits of free trade, the US is taking a page out of Beijing’s own state capitalist playbook.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Indeed, Ye didn’t say much of anything during the two-hour concert beyond a number of reprimanding comments directed at his stage crew.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Both Hilton and Bianco gave the governor an F, blaming the crisis on drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Though the official inquest failed to determine whether Zac jumped to escape danger or to kill himself, The New Yorker’s Keefe winds up blaming the death on the corruption of London in recent decades by oligarchs, con men, and international criminals.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The changing telework fight Last year, unions regularly held large rallies opposing the return-to-office order; an anonymous group of state workers erected billboards along Interstate 80 criticizing the governor.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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While the organization hasn’t publicly said so, some have questioned whether the support is partly in retaliation against Cassidy for criticizing Kennedy’s vaccine policy agenda.—
Ali Swenson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ragging. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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