as in reprimanding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
he scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in talking-to
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scolding
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2025
After the meeting, Mr. Schumer pulled him aside for a rare scolding.
—Annie Karni, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Though beset by soul-breaking external pressures — including frequent scoldings from his boss, Gloria (Michael Hyatt), for the hospital’s low patient-satisfaction scores — Robby is a bottomless vessel for the pain, anger, fear, frustration, and heartbreak of those around him.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scolding
Verb
From her sharp scolding of a student nurse to her own tears of self-recrimination, Floria is a full-blooded and beautifully etched character and, yes, a heroine.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2025
After the meeting, Mr. Schumer pulled him aside for a rare scolding.
—Annie Karni, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Though beset by soul-breaking external pressures — including frequent scoldings from his boss, Gloria (Michael Hyatt), for the hospital’s low patient-satisfaction scores — Robby is a bottomless vessel for the pain, anger, fear, frustration, and heartbreak of those around him.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scolding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scolding
Noun
-
Never underestimate the combined powers of a Liv Benson talking-to and a New York slice.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
16 Jan. 2025
-
Roberts pulled the reliever in, gave him what seemed like a fatherly talking-to, and – after Ramirez got out of the inning with the very next pitch – noted that sometimes the best course is not to yell and scream at a player.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Orange County Register,
30 May 2024
Noun
-
Smith, whose first store in Nottingham, England, measured exactly three square meters, or 32 square feet, is still learning lessons from the shop floor.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
20 June 2025
-
Our challenge is to ensure each generation has the opportunity to engage with our stories, characters and life lessons.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Finally, Assad’s fall has fueled domestic discontent among loyalists to the regime in Tehran, with some calling the loss a strategic blunder and openly criticizing the government on state television.—
Hamidreza Azizi,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Dec. 2024
-
While most have become accustomed and perhaps even oblivious to McGregor’s online rants, openly criticizing a business partner is a little dicey.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Posted on YouTube, the 7-minute video features comedian Martin Herlihy holding a lecture before a group of high school students, with the goal of teaching them how to convince their parents to buy them a Mac for college.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
20 June 2025
-
In 2019, a national survey of OB-GYN, internal medicine and family practice residency programs revealed that 20% of graduating residents had received no lectures on menopause, and 6.8% felt unprepared to care for menopausal patients.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Flow Space,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
The most extreme punishment the 24-year-old could receive is a ban spanning four years.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
-
While many see Juneteenth as an opportunity to celebrate freedom, the truth is that slavery still exists today, in prisons around the country, due to the loophole in the 13th Amendment that permits enslavement as punishment for a crime.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Noun
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That violence, too, increases in the latter half of Wax’s drama, as Ferd discovers Izzy’s secret passion and lashes out at her for it.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 June 2025
-
Silver shimmer was pressed into her lids above wispy lashes, while her lips were lined with a dusty brown and painted in a coral lip shade.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Nothing, perhaps, has grated more than last month’s Oval Office dressing-down of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.—
Ned Temko,
Christian Science Monitor,
12 June 2025
-
Nine goals, a 30-minute hat-trick, an unlikely comeback, a last-gasp winner, comedic errors and a dressing-down on the pitch at full-time, all played out in teeming rain in Lisbon, made this a night to remember.—
Tim Spiers,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Although there are few formal guidelines, a consensus has formed around consent when possible, de-identification when not, and adherence to the admonition that the patient’s welfare always comes first.—
Danielle Ofri,
New Yorker,
7 June 2025
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The admonition follows a similar warning from three U.S. senators — Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scolding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scolding. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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