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Glite Dictionary
🩹 A skin bubble 🩹 To form bubbles 💢 To criticize harshly
to blister

to blister

9 8.1
To attack someone with very strong words
  • verb
  • /ˈblɪstər/
translation icon : criticar duramente
  • After the scandal, the politician was blistered by the press in a series of harsh articles.
  • blistering criticism
  • blistering critique
  • blistering attack

So you can't, you can't go full kind of Bobby Knight basketball coach and and just blister men today as if they're idiots and goofballs, just as the culture says they are.

Examples

  • But Nienstedt's central role in the campaign has also brought blistering criticism from the faithful.

    Blog text (31)

  • Then Jobs let loose a blistering burst of criticism.

    Blog text (8)

  • Obama is trying his best to not break out laughing while issuing a blistering smackdown of the White House press corps.

    Blog text (22)

  • In the former, Miller directed a blistering rebuke at those who "cast heroes of African resistance as stars and made supporting players of the Seminole people."

    Academic text (2017)

  • In another indication of the triumph of the urban vision, Judge J. M. C. Townsend of the Georgia Court of Appeals in mid-June 1949 issued a blistering condemnation of racist violence.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The manager blistered the team for their lack of preparation before the big presentation.

  • Critics blistered the film for its poor script and weak performances.

Synonyms

to whip
vsto blister
133 4.4

To hit something with a long thin object or move it quickly and forcefully

is a verbal attack focused only on criticism not physical pain
to berate
vsto blister
36 7.2

Scold someone angrily and severely

is a harsh verbal attack that may be less like scolding
to rebuke
vsto blister
  • Formal
26 6.9

To tell someone firmly that you do not approve of their actions

is a harsh verbal attack but this is a more formal disapproval
to scorch
vsto blister
15 7.3

To severely criticize someone or something

is a harsh verbal attack rather than focusing on denunciation
to badmouth
vsto blister
  • Informal
15 7.6

To speak badly about someone behind their backs

is a harsh verbal attack whereas this often implies malice
to lambast
vsto blister
12 8.2

To criticize someone very strongly and angrily

is a severe verbal attack that may lack strong anger
to skin someone alive
vsto blister
  • Offensive
6 8.8

To scold or punish someone severely to show strong anger, not a real action

is a harsh verbal attack but not always a figurative punishment
to upbraid
vsto blister
  • Formal
3 8.8

To scold someone strongly for something they did wrong

is a harsh verbal attack that may be less tied to behavior
to tear (someone) a new one
vsto blister
  • Offensive
2 9.9

To scold someone angrily

is a harsh verbal attack that can be less angrily personal
to lambaste
vsto blister
1 8.0

To criticize someone or something very strongly in public

is a harsh verbal attack not necessarily public
to scald
vsto blister
1 8.1

To criticize someone or something very harshly

is a harsh verbal attack but not always this extreme
to blackguard
vsto blister
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To insult someone using very rude words

is a harsh verbal attack that may not use foul language
to vituperate
vsto blister
  • Offensive
9.9

To criticize someone angrily using harsh words

is a severe verbal attack but not always abusive in tone
to clapperclaw
vsto blister
  • Offensive
9.9

To attack someone with angry words

is a harsh verbal attack not focused on word abuse
to read to filth
vsto blister
  • Offensive
9.9

Strongly insult someone in front of others to embarrass them

is a harsh verbal attack that may be less thorough
to throw brickbats
vsto blister
  • Literature
8.9

Attack someone with strong words in public

is a harsh verbal attack not necessarily public or broadcast

Compounds

blister beetle
1 8.0

A beetle that makes a liquid that can cause blisters on the skin

blister pack
1 3.7

Packaging that keeps a small product in a clear plastic bubble on cardboard

blister rust
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A disease of pine trees that makes blisters and dead patches on the bark, caused by a fungus

blood blister
1 4.3

A raised spot on the skin filled with blood from rubbing or hitting

fever blister
  • US
1 5.1

A small painful sore on the lip or face caused by the herpes virus

blister blight
  • Specialized
9.3

A plant disease that makes blister-like spots on leaves and shoots, often in tea plants or pine trees

blister copper
  • Specialized
8.6

A form of impure copper with a black, bumpy surface caused by trapped gas when it is melted

water blister
2.8

A small raised spot on the skin filled with clear fluid after rubbing or a burn

white pine blister rust
  • Specialized
9.1

A disease caused by a fungus that makes blisters on the bark and weakens white pine trees

How Harsh

to lambaste
1 8.0
to blister
9 8.1
to berate
36 7.2
to scold
55 2.2
to criticize
701 3.3

Surface Forms

blister infinitive
blistered past
blistered past participle
blistering present participle
blisters third person singular

Etymology

Blister used for harsh words comes from the idea of 'burning' or hurting someone so much it leaves a mark, and a helpful way to remember it is to imagine words that 'burn' like heat. That's why to blister someone means to attack them with very severe criticism.