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 Stars have lost four of their last five matches, getting outscored 11-0 in the four defeats.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026 -
For the British in North America, the war begun in 1754 had included a series of defeats, a relentless struggle against people who knew the terrain and who linked arms with the French.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
One person alone isn’t indicative of UCLA’s wins or losses, Inouye-Perez says.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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All are useful, all are partial, and none reverse the country’s losses.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
After years of delays and testing setbacks, Dark Eagle has recently gained momentum through successful flight tests and production contracts.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
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The recent history of such fiery setbacks is not a positive one for Blue Origin.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Sources familiar with the investigation said gang leaders forced inmates to vote for González-Colón or face brutal beatings, or be cut off from the drugs they were addicted to.—
Raquel Rutledge,
ProPublica,
26 May 2026
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About 150 cops were hospitalized after brutal beatings by those criminal rioters.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shellackings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellackings. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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