Meaning & use
tongue-lashing
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Meaning
nouncountable
A severe spoken scolding or verbal attack, often from someone in authority.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a tongue-lashing' or 'tongue-lashings'. Often followed by 'from someone' or 'for something'.
Patterns
- a tongue-lashing from someone
- give someone a tongue-lashing
- get a tongue-lashing for something
After missing the deadline, she received a tongue-lashing from her manager.
The coach gave the team a tongue-lashing for their poor performance.
He expected a tongue-lashing, but his boss just sighed and walked away.
Word forms
| plural | tongue-lashings |
|---|
Common combinations
- give someone a tongue-lashing
- The principal gave the students a tongue-lashing for skipping class.
- receive a tongue-lashing
- He received a tongue-lashing from his wife for forgetting their anniversary.
- a tongue-lashing from
- She got a tongue-lashing from the director for her careless mistakes.
- a tongue-lashing for
- The players faced a tongue-lashing for their lack of effort.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scolding
- A scolding is a general reprimand, often less intense and more formal than a tongue-lashing.
- rebuke
- A rebuke is a sharp expression of disapproval, but it can be written or spoken and is more formal.
- reprimand
- A reprimand is an official or formal criticism, while a tongue-lashing is typically an angry, informal outburst.
Opposites
Word family
- tongue-lash verb
- To criticize someone severely in speech.
- tongue-lashing noun
- The act of scolding severely.
Commonly confused: tongue-lashing or tongue twister?
tongue-lashing vs tongue twister
A tongue twister is a phrase that is difficult to pronounce quickly, not a scolding.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tongue-lashing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'tongue-lashing' as a noun meaning a severe scolding. Option 1 is wrong because you don't give a tongue-lashing to an object. Option 2 uses the wrong verb form; it should be 'tongue-lashed' or 'gave a tongue-lashing'. Option 3 is nonsensical because a tongue-lashing is not a tool.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tongue-lashing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.