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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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
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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
-
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
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
-
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
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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
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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
-
Celebrating a murder is disgraceful, and reprimands and firings in the workplace can be appropriate consequences for it, but criticism of anyone’s political views should always be fair game.—
Michael Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
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However, he has now been handed a reprimand by the stewards for failing to slow under a yellow flag that was triggered after his teammate Lando Norris hit the wall at Turn 4.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will host COP30, delivered a sharp rebuke.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
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Kimmel last week sparked a firestorm via comments on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that garnered a rebuke from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and his ABC suspension.—
Tara Suter,
The Hill,
24 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 2025.
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