as in invective
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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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-lashing
Noun
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Riley would have invented invectives.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026 -
Today’s writers use it to wildly different ends, from political invectives to plainspoken diaries to surreal dreamscapes.—
Patrick Dundon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
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Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Despite the critical lashing, the audience score has been propped up by faithful fans and is sitting at 96%.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
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If plants look deflated or heavily wilted after a wind lashing, this is a sign of water loss.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At Yale, where Garber began her career, Jacques Derrida was a frequent visitor, and Paul de Man might be found down the corridor solemnly lecturing on Nietzsche.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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How do teachers carry on teaching, lecturing, checking homework and having students prepare for assessments, and how do students enjoy the pleasures that extracurricular activities bring?—
Jerald McNair,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to Politico, the conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults.—
Tom Jurkowsky,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
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Trump unleashed a tirade against Pope Leo XIV after the pope delivered an antiwar message, leading John Dolan, the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, to come to the pope’s defense.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Indeed, Ye didn’t say much of anything during the two-hour concert beyond a number of reprimanding comments directed at his stage crew.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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Potential punishments included a reprimand or a censure, which serve as forms of public rebuke.—
Kevin Freking,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
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Potential punishments include a reprimand or a censure, which serve as forms of public rebuke.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Tongue-lashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lashing. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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