1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

tongue-lashed

verb

past tense of tongue-lash
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings the drill sergeant tongue-lashed the recruits with a colorful litany of foulmouthed invectives

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-lashed
  1. scolded
  2. lectured
  3. reprimanded
  4. blamed
  5. criticized
  6. chewed out
Verb
  • In 2024, a judge scolded both sides for excessive litigation and ruled for the trust to be dissolved and for the house to be sold.
    — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Lawrence scolded the council members, who sat stoically through dozens of speeches.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Luann patiently attempts to explain that the women don’t like being lectured to about their business affairs, only for Vicki to abruptly answer a phone call mid-conversation.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • We’re also lectured early on that Cole is a chess master, but his alleged intelligence never pays off.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of lectured
Verb
  • My mother reprimanded me for taking a sip from a cocktail glass without first removing the little plastic swizzle stick that often comes in a drink.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
  • She has been suspended and reprimanded but also sometimes got her punishments rescinded.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • China said its vessel had been conducting lawful operations near Sabina Shoal and blamed the Philippine side for the collision.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Republicans have blamed Cooper for Zarutska’s death, arguing a COVID-era prison settlement led to the early release of the suspect in the case, DeCarlos Brown, Jr.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of blamed
Verb
  • Some fans have criticized the use of lovable Bucks mascot Bango to announce the deal.
    — Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Activists during the press conference on Tuesday criticized Doral officials for agreeing to it in the first place.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • Being chewed out was nothing new, part of life as a football player.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
  • About eight or nine hours into a punishing shoot, nerves were fraying, and Mike McGuirk was getting chewed out by a camera operator.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of chewed out
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tongue-lash
tongue-lashed
tongue-lashes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tongue-lashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lashed. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All