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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In an invective posted to the Truth Social platform on Thanksgiving, President Trump used a slur for people with intellectual disabilities to describe Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.—
Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
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In Congo, Tutsis face widespread discrimination and bigoted invective.—
Verb
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But more recently, groups of citizens have grown tired of scolding and have begun reaching for the birch rod.—
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But acknowledging, or god forbid, scolding the internet for laughing at Kirk would only give it all more power.—
Noun
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Guests tucked into slabs of soda bread with lashings of butter and chicken pot pie, washed down by flights of Baileys on ice and second helpings from a trifle cart.—
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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.—
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.—
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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.—
Noun
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Bosa responded with an explicit tirade.—
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Perhaps his tirade wasn’t in vain, as Minnesota possessed a sizable free-throw advantage throughout the affair, though the Wolves missed 14 of their 47 attempts.—
Verb
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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.—
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When conversation veers into controversial territory, Gott suggests redirecting rather than reprimanding.—
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.—
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The politicization of the COVID response has only worsened this trend, likely resulting in part from Trump’s vituperation.—
Noun
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His only discipline was an oral reprimand in 2025 after Chief Paul Humphrey found him at fault in a crash.—
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Lenard saw people smiling, laughing, making small talk, and watching their kids enjoy themselves without criticism or reprimands.—
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Cite this Entry
“Tongue-lashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lashing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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