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
-
Shipp is tasked with scolding her father and delivering leaden exposition.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
His politics may explain Whitehouse’s general opposition to the current occupant of the White House, though not necessarily the invective.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The actor also has been involved in occurrences of being verbal and physically aggressive, hurling racists invectives, as well as being out and out violent on a number of occasions.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
This is the last organization that should be lecturing anyone about respecting the game.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Faculty across the state rebuked it as an infringement on academic freedom and warned of a mass chilling effect on free speech and lecturing on divisive topics.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
But despite the excessive lashings of déjà vu, these are storytelling clichés that work.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Jeff Tillotson, a lawyer for Teleport, blamed the missing lashing on a contractor, who is not a party to the lawsuit.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hidden in Stroup’s fiery tirades is a poetic flair and penchant for storytelling reminiscent of Kyle Kinane.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher went on one of his bad-boy tirades during a performance at the 1996 show by swearing, wandering the stage and making lewd gestures during his brother Noel's guitar solo.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 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
-
Bloise is barred from visiting school sites for a period of 90 days, a component of his formal reprimand not previously shared with the public.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Griffin’s warning represents a rare reprimand from a CEO at a time when many business leaders have tried to steer clear of publicly criticizing the president and others have gone out of their way to curry favor.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Israel's attack in Qatar, which has been hosting Gaza ceasefire talks, drew a rebuke from the White House and was condemned by countries around the world.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The Biden administration’s CIA chief gave his scathing rebuke of the current administration’s transformation of the intelligence community during an event with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share