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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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 -
Some of those pushing anti-Jewish invective on the right are opportunists.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 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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The duo’s direct clashes whiplash with motivational complexity as well as physical lashing out.—
Bob Strauss,
Houston Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
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The duo’s direct clashes whiplash with motivational complexity as well as physical lashing out.—
Bob Strauss,
San Francisco Chronicle,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The irony here is that after spending decades lecturing China about the merits of free trade, the US is taking a page out of Beijing’s own state capitalist playbook.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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Therefore, now is not the time to be lecturing our partners and allies.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This comes after last week's post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Indeed, Ye has been something of an outcast in the mainstream entertainment industry since a series of antisemitic and racist tirades in 2022, culminating in the release of a swastika T-shirt via his Yeezy brand.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
5 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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Rollins agreed to a public reprimand for misconduct by the state board that oversees her law license last June, two years after her resignation.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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Jordan, who has served as a circuit judge since 2011, could face a public reprimand for his actions.—
Camila Gomez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 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 21 Apr. 2026.
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