as in invective
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Dissimilar Words
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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After years of inflammatory social-media posts and antisemitic invective, Kanye West has taken out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal that traces his erratic behavior to his 2002 car crash.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026 -
Today, a Luddite is your grandparent who keeps looking at the screen rather than the camera when on Zoom, the Boomer who types in all-capital letters, the grouchy man who refuses to get a smart phone, the professor spewing invective against Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crucially, the film avoids the trap of scolding younger generations or romanticizing the past.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
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Sanders, by now a perennial candidate, perfected his craggy, scolding, mitten-waving style.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Kaia Gerber and Cindy Crawford, who have now walked plenty a red carpet together, embrace their dark features with red lips, lashings of mascara, and undulating brunette curls.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
17 Dec. 2025
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Krampus is a fabled goat-like figure that punishes naughty children with lashings, sometimes kidnapping them from their homes, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.—
Angelika Ytuarte,
jsonline.com,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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After teaching at Sacramento City College and lecturing at UC Davis, Fisher moved into public history, working with the California Office of Historic Preservation and the Architectural History Department at Caltrans.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Trump launches another tirade against a NATO ally.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2026
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In 2024, Adcock went on a tirade against then-President Joe Biden.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Harnessing the camp of countless Drag Race acting challenges that came before her, Jujubee films a close-up reaction to a group of rowdy passengers reprimanding her, escalating the moment until her face is full-on twitching before a physical confrontation.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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Censures, a means of formally reprimanding a lawmaker without going so far as to expel them, have historically been rare; in the 200 years after Congress first convened, only 22 House members were censured.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
21 Nov. 2025
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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The former directors also criticized Saintremy’s reprimands from the city, stating a key function of her role is to promote events at the cultural center and that means speaking with media.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
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After a presentation by a lawyer and an investigator for the secretary of state’s office, a response from the county and a lengthy discussion among the board members, the board voted to issue a letter of reprimand to the county.—
Kate Brumback,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 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 7 Feb. 2026.
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