TONGUE-LASHING Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

tongue-lashing 1 of 2

noun

as in invective

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tongue-lashing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of tongue-lash

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-lashing

Noun

Alongside his criticisms of Britain, the Argentine president devoted some invective to the United Nations itself.

— Adrienne Vogt, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
Rather than Ole Miss run out alone and receive the invective, the Rebels waited for Arkansas to run out, then finally took the field.

— Seth Emerson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of invective

Verb

Eventually, all charges were dropped days before trial, with Perry scolding prosecutors for violating the inherent trust placed in the office.

— Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Historically, the United States has sent mixed messages to Europeans, encouraging them to step up but then scolding them for seeking autonomy.

— JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of scolding

Noun

His guests are hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and on a bullet train to rock bottom, desperate enough to hand their financial records over to an online content creator for a public lashing.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
In several case studies documented by AHRDO, women who approached the Taliban courts to complain about domestic abuse, violence and even rape were arrested and charged with moral crimes and sentenced to public lashing.

— Ruchi Kumar, NPR, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of lashing

Verb

The bald guy lecturing me on how to get the money looked real enough, but the question of his true being kept rattling around my increasingly paranoid mind.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Especially for him in the same interview to be lecturing my party on democracy and norms.

— NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of lecturing

Noun

After the run that Lisa couldn’t complete, Whitney tracks her down at the bottom of the mountain to officially apologize for her drunken tirade against her at that drag brunch, and against all odds, Lisa is fully ready to hear her out.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
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, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of tirade

Noun

As these things go, the tweet exposes Hotez to public vituperation on social media and possibly physical harm.

— Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
On March 12, Nickels tweeted a notice of a scientific conference in Washington at which Peter Daszak, the head of a research funding organization who has long been the target of vituperation by lab-leak advocates, would appear on a panel.

— Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024

Definition of vituperation

Noun

While Young never received a formal reprimand, he was made aware of the Congress’s frustration and others in the corps were advised not to follow his lead, per NASA.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026
Fisher’s attorney also requested an injunction to temporarily prevent Nowlin from sending the reprimand to the Texas Board of Law Examiners, the entity that would decide if Fisher became an attorney in the state.

— Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of reprimand

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.

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tongue-lashes

tongue-lashing

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“Tongue-lashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lashing. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tongue-lashing

noun

verb

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