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
-
On March 12, the judge sought to change the journalists’ seating arrangement in court after scolding them for asking İmamoğlu questions during a hearing.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
9 June 2026 -
And this time, Carmen turned his sights towards Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson, scolding him for his timeout decisions.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
College professors spend less time lecturing than a typical sportswriter creating fake controversies to criticize.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
If and until that day comes, there will be fingerpointing, lecturing and posturing, all of which has flowed freely in the wake of the Sorsby decision.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Tax cuts and spending cuts have to go hand in hand, otherwise the cycle starts all over again as deficit spending goes up and tax hikes come calling down the road to plug the hole.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
Mullin pulled no punches in dressing down Democrats for the delay.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
During her six-year tenure, Porter often went viral for wielding a whiteboard to emphasize her points while dressing down corporate executives in congressional hearings.—
Lia Russell
February 19,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If something’s not done as far as reprimanding, what will that do to him as a student?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
In footage that circulated on social media after Sunday's telecast, the 35-year-old Best Supporting Actress nominee and recording artist was shown reprimanding someone off camera while others stepped between them.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And unlike Gober’s ad, the ad targeting Bores from Leading the Future’s Think Big PAC leans heavily into criticizing Bores for wanting to regulate AI at the state level.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
10 Dec. 2025
-
The Justice Department declined to comment on the lawsuit, pointing instead to Bondi’s earlier statements criticizing ICEBlock.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Looks like a lot of fans are blaming the refs, a classic coping mechanism!—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Blaming Ray, then blaming his disease.—
Adeline Goss,
New Yorker,
11 June 2026
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 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
