as in scolding
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
as in invective
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-lashing
Verb
-
This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025 -
Like an impatient parent scolding their toddler, Frankenstein grows frustrated with his monster’s limited capacity for speech.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Not surprisingly, Beijing has reacted to Lai’s address with a string of invective.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Rory McIlroy was the lightning rod for the invective, and so was his wife.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Since exiting Dries Van Noten a few years ago, Scallon has been working as an independent consultant and mentor in fashion communications strategy, also lecturing occasionally and sharing his views about creative content on podcasts.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The same woman Don had been lecturing about beer.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But despite the excessive lashings of déjà vu, these are storytelling clichés that work.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
There were, indeed, in the Middle Ages, some very fine paintings covered in lashings of gold leaf.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
When conversation veers into controversial territory, Gott suggests redirecting rather than reprimanding.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
-
To this end, Cucinelli urged the independent players to tap into the online commerce without betraying their identity of exclusivity and desirability, subtly reprimanding those who embraced the gray market outright.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And Elon Musk's tirade against NASA as the agency tries to get to the moon before China.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Michael ended his tirade and walked out of the studio.—
Dan Beck,
Variety,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Oct. 2024
-
The politicization of the COVID response has only worsened this trend, likely resulting in part from Trump’s vituperation.—
Matt Motta,
Scientific American,
29 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Prior board records provided to the Herald by Rollins’ attorney last month shed light on the misconduct violation that led to the public reprimand.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Just last season, he was suspended for three games after a hit to the head of Jacksonville Jaguars passer Trevor Lawrence, prompting a public reprimand from the NFL policy and rules administration.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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
“Tongue-lashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lashing. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share