as in scolding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for railing (at or against)
Verb
-
Shipp is tasked with scolding her father and delivering leaden exposition.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The same woman Don had been lecturing about beer.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The following photos feature him reading on a train, posing with students, standing next to a sculpture and lecturing in front of the class.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For the first stretch of Erupcja, Charli almost dissolves into the screen, not like an outsize personality who’s dressing down for a part, but like someone who isn’t able to repurpose her considerable ability to hold our attention — or to give us any sense of what’s on her character’s mind.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After making the initial comments during the Mets' win over the Cubs on Tuesday, Cohen returned to the SNY broadcast booth on Thursday for his first call since criticizing the rookie for missing the game for Kirk's memorial.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Among those criticizing the police union were members of Black Leaders Organizing Communities, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Voces de la Frontera.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Right now, congressional leaders are busy blaming one another for the looming shutdown, but no clear path is emerging for how funding might be approved.—
Allison Pecorin,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Constantly blaming others when mistakes are made, or obstacles arise, is a surefire sign that someone doesn’t have emotional intelligence — a trait with a strong correlation to workplace success — according to bestselling authors and communication experts Kathy and Ross Petras.—
Ashton Jackson,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The episode ends with Kyle’s mom chewing out Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his actions in the ongoing war.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Railing (at or against).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/railing%20%28at%20or%20against%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share