as in defeats
failure to win a contest
suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellackings
Noun
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The night was young, the start of a grueling journey to back-to-back defeats in the Lakers’ penultimate game before the All-Star break.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026 -
For much of 2025, their doldrums felt much worse than the typical rough patch that parties endure after bad election defeats.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those market jitters saw over $1 trillion wiped from the market caps of big tech firms, though some stocks have since recovered some of their losses.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
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Its benefits include greater energy capture without atmospheric losses, near-continuous sunlight, as well as optimal sun-facing orientation.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Everyone in life faces obstacles and setbacks while trying to achieve hopes and dreams without realizing what God is doing, Tebow said.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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Bubic didn’t experience any setbacks.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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We are threatened with beatings and gunfire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
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Colmenarez told the Herald that he was contacted that fall by the FBI, which wanted to talk with him about Quero Silva and the beatings at the national guard headquarters in Barquisimeto.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shellackings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellackings. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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