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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in invective
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-lashing
Verb
-
Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025 -
Shipp is tasked with scolding her father and delivering leaden exposition.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Rory McIlroy was the lightning rod for the invective, and so was his wife.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
-
In the months before the $5 million match, Ali turned up the invective, calling Frazier dumb, mocking his dark skin, and painting him as a lackey for his white handlers.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
-
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
-
Cast members immediately reacted to Caroline’s misgendering, with some reprimanding her, while others covered their faces in embarrassment.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Suspect Thomas Jacob Sanford, who was fatally shot by police, had gone on a recent tirade against Latter-day Saints during a conversation with a local political candidate.—
Brittany Romanello,
The Conversation,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Her tirade is a window into the mentality of radical CA Democrat politicians.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 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
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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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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
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He was convicted of failing in his duties and received a formal reprimand.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tongue-lashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lashing. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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