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Glite Dictionary
to lambaste

to lambaste

1 8.0
To criticize someone or something very strongly in public
  • verb
  • /læmˈbeɪst/
translation icon : criticar duramente
  • During the debate, the senator lambasted his opponent's stance on healthcare, claiming it was harmful to the public.
  • lambaste the president

And if you don't deal with that, you'll get lambasted and chastised.

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Examples

  • So they just just lambasted the CIA for that.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • She was lambasted as destroying free speech.

    Rich Roll

  • You have Trump and his people lambasting the police for what they did.

  • And so the media was lambasting her as usual and so on.

  • And our approach, my impression of our approach has just been to lambast the public with more and more data.

  • While rivals lambaste his isolationist foreign policy views as dangerous, the Texas congressman did not shy from the fight.

    Blog text (2)

  • Back to the Forbes article and Lee goes on to lambaste then Kentucky Governor Matt Bevan for his comments on chicken pox.

  • And if you don't deal with that, you'll get lambasted and chastised.

    Anything Goes With James English

  • Kate Forbes was lambasted for the fact that the Church of which she's a member does not have Stonewall's views on gay marriage.

    andrew gold | heretics.

  • But Mr. Axelrod did not miss a chance to lambaste Mr. Romney's performance, as Obama aides have been doing since the Denver encounter on Wednesday, as theatrical and at times fundamentally misleading.

    Blog text (23)

Synonyms

to attack
vsto lambaste
597 3.4

To strongly criticize someone or something in public

is similar but adds emphasis on severe public rebuke rather than general condemnation
to denounce
vsto lambaste
  • Formal
115 6.8

Publicly criticize someone or something strongly

is similar but may be less formal, focusing on severe public rebuke rather than official censure
to lecture
vsto lambaste
89 4.6

To give someone a long serious talk that warns or scolds them about what they did

is more intense and public rather than long serious instruction
to lash out
vsto lambaste
71 5.6

Suddenly say angry things about someone by speaking or writing

is similar but implies planned severe public condemnation rather than sudden outburst
to trash
vsto lambaste
  • Offensive
70 5.8

To say very bad things about someone or something

is similar but centers on strong public censure without implying unfairness
to blast
vsto lambaste
  • Literature
61 5.3

To strongly criticize someone in public

is similar but stresses sustained or severe public denunciation
to scold
vsto lambaste
55 2.2

Speak angrily to someone who has done something wrong

is more public and focuses on very severe public criticism
to bash
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
49 4.6

To criticize someone strongly and unfairly in public

is similar but focuses on severe public condemnation without implying unfairness
to berate
vsto lambaste
36 7.2

Scold someone angrily and severely

is similar but includes an emphasis on public and very severe denunciation
to reprimand
vsto lambaste
  • Formal
33 6.1

To tell someone they did something wrong, usually by a person in charge

is similar but is not limited to formal authority situations and includes public attack
to crucify
vsto lambaste
  • NSFW
32 8.0

To criticize someone or something very harshly, often in public

is like that but emphasizes harsh public verbal condemnation more generally
to decry
vsto lambaste
  • Formal
31 7.7

To say in public that something is bad or wrong

is similar but carries extra force of very severe public condemnation
to assault
vsto lambaste
29 5.8

To attack someone strongly in speech or writing

is similar but often stresses public severe reproach rather than broad attack
to rebuke
vsto lambaste
  • Formal
26 6.9

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

is similar but highlights public severe criticism rather than mainly formal disapproval
to revile
vsto lambaste
  • Offensive
23 8.2

To say angry, insulting things about someone or something

is similar but emphasizes public severe condemnation rather than purely insulting speech
to tear apart
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
21 5.6

To criticize someone or something harshly

is similar but leans more to blunt public denunciation than systematic fault finding
to take to task
vsto lambaste
18 6.3

To scold someone strongly for a mistake

is similar but emphasizes public severe criticism rather than private correction
to scorch
vsto lambaste
15 7.3

To severely criticize someone or something

is similar but often implies public denunciation in a sharper tone
to chew out
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
13 7.0

Scold someone angrily in front of others

is similar but usually applies to severe public criticism rather than private scolding
to lambast
vsto lambaste
12 8.2

To criticize someone very strongly and angrily

is similar but adds an explicit focus on public severe criticism
to excoriate
vsto lambaste
  • Literature
9 9.8

To criticize someone or something very harshly in public

is similar but stresses severe public condemnation especially of actions
to blister
vsto lambaste
9 8.1

To attack someone with very strong words

is similar but places extra stress on public severity rather than private rebuke
to pillory
vsto lambaste
7 9.3

To criticize someone publicly to make them feel ashamed

is similar but focuses more on blunt severe verbal attack than display
to drag through the mud
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
7 7.9

To speak badly about someone in public to hurt their reputation

is similar but often stresses immediate severe public denunciation rather than lasting reputation damage
to rake over the coals
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
4 7.9

Scold someone very strongly for a mistake

is similar but places extra weight on public severity rather than punitive speech alone
to rip into
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
4 7.4

To attack someone with strong angry words

is similar but stresses extreme public severity over energetic personal attack
to tear into
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
4 7.4

To attack or criticize someone strongly

is similar but emphasizes harsh public criticism rather than only energy of attack
to put on blast
vsto lambaste
  • Offensive
3 9.5

Say bad things about someone in public to show others what they did

is similar but often used for severe public criticism without the showy tone
to call on the carpet
vsto lambaste
  • Archaic
3 7.9

To tell someone strongly that they have done something wrong, often in front of others

is more public and less tied to formal authority
to upbraid
vsto lambaste
  • Formal
3 8.8

To scold someone strongly for something they did wrong

is similar but often focuses on public severe condemnation rather than formal rebuke
to tear someone a new one
vsto lambaste
  • Offensive
3 9.8

To scold someone very harshly

is similar but highlights public severity and formal condemnation more
to dress down
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
3 6.3

To angrily tell someone they did something wrong

is similar but extends to severe public criticism beyond workplace rebuke
to tear (someone) a new one
vsto lambaste
  • Offensive
2 9.9

To scold someone angrily

is similar but adds the idea of severe public criticism rather than private scolding
to chew up
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
2 7.1

To scold someone angrily and severely

is similar but tends to point to public severe condemnation rather than private censure
to scald
vsto lambaste
1 8.1

To criticize someone or something very harshly

is similar but commonly stresses public denunciation over private harshness
to hit out at
vsto lambaste
  • UK
1 6.7

To criticize someone or something strongly in public

is similar but highlights general severe public condemnation rather than personal attack
to fulminate against
vsto lambaste
  • Formal
1 9.9

Angrily criticize someone or something

is similar but often focuses on public severe condemnation rather than only denunciation
to gibbet
vsto lambaste
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To expose someone to public shame or ridicule

is similar but centers on severe public verbal attack rather than mere exposure
to call down
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
1 6.8

Tell someone angrily that they did something wrong

is similar but extends to formal public severe criticism rather than only spoken rebuke
to pillorize
vsto lambaste
  • US
9.9

To say bad things about someone in public to make them feel ashamed

is similar but centers on forceful public criticism rather than theatrical mockery
to throw brickbats
vsto lambaste
  • Literature
8.9

Attack someone with strong words in public

is similar but may be used for formal or informal severe public criticism
to bawl out
vsto lambaste
  • Informal
6.7

Shout loudly at someone because they did something wrong

is similar but often occurs publicly and in broader contexts than private shouting
to vituperate
vsto lambaste
  • Offensive
9.9

To criticize someone angrily using harsh words

is similar but tends to be used for strong public condemnation rather than general abuse
to clapperclaw
vsto lambaste
  • Offensive
9.9

To attack someone with angry words

is similar but typically implies public severe criticism rather than only verbal abuse
to animadvert
vsto lambaste
  • Archaic
9.9

To criticize someone or something sharply in public

is similar but stresses very severe public criticism rather than measured disapproval

Antonyms

to commend
67 4.4

To praise someone or something for good work

How Harsh

to vilify
43 7.9
to lambaste
1 8.0
to denounce
  • Formal
115 6.8
to censure
  • Formal
26 7.7
to scold
55 2.2
rebuke
22 6.8
to criticize
701 3.3

Surface Forms

lambaste infinitive
lambasted past
lambasted past participle
lambasting present participle
lambastes third person singular

Morphology

lambaste = lam + baste (opaque) = lam + baste

Although historically analyzable as lam + baste meaning 'beat', the modern sense 'severely criticize' is a figurative shift and the component meanings are not apparent to typical learners.

Etymology

The word lambaste likely comes from old slang parts lam ('to beat') and baste ('to strike'), so it originally meant to hit someone hard. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a 'beating' with words, which is why to lambaste someone today is to criticise them very harshly.