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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as in invective
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-lashing
Noun
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Douglas McCarthy, the vocalist who hectored anarchic invective with EBM innovators Nitzer Ebb and who joined Depeche Mode keyboardist Alan Wilder’s Recoil side project, died Wednesday at the age of 58.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2025 -
His tommy-gun dialogue, much of it laced with withering invective and punctuated with profanity, started a shift in the language of both theater and movies in this country.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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However, May argued that Trump’s recent public lashings out against Putin appear to be more lasting than those against Zelensky, signaling a wider shift in policy.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 May 2025
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Will slaves not plow the earth beneath the lashing of their masters in these wastelands of man’s primordial independence?—
Jonathon Sturgeon,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But once Hudson informed him that Gibson had already tossed him, Roberts unleashed the type of tirade that’s been rare during his 10-year managerial career.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
-
Even Meta, which folded its Libra stablecoin amidst a tirade of regulatory backlash, has considered re-entering the space.—
Christopher Perkins,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
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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
-
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
Noun
-
Amster has to return $10,000 to Diaz’s mother, attend ethics school and will receive a public reprimand.—
David J. Neal
July 3,
Miami Herald,
3 July 2025
-
Humphrey did not suspend Willis, but issued a letter of reprimand that can be factored into future disciplinary decisions.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Patrick’s statement is an extraordinary public rebuke of French, who has made many inflammatory comments on social media — most of them without political consequence — since the county’s Republican Party elected him chair in fall 2023.—
Cody Copeland,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 June 2025
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After Trump’s rebukes, Gabbard updated her analysis to align with the president’s.—
Elizabeth Crisp,
The Hill,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Sunday’s attacks follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments two days ago that Moscow is ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul.—
Volodymyr Yurchuk,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2025
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Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine despite talks between the two countries in Istanbul, which were supposed to lead to a ceasefire.—
Joanna Kakissis,
NPR,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.—
Jacky Wong,
WSJ,
6 Feb. 2023
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Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Tongue-lashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lashing. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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