Nearby Words
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | criticize hatefully |
| Synonyms: | bawl out, blister, call down, castigate, censure, chew out, chew*, chide, cuss out, eat out, give one hell, give what for, jaw, jump all over, rail at, rake over the coals, rate, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, reprove, revile, scold, scorch, tell off, tongue-lash, upbraid, vituperate |
| Antonyms: | compliment, hail, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | admonish |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | warn, strongly criticize |
| Synonyms: | advise, berate, call down, call on the carpet, censure, check, chide, come down hard on, counsel, ding, draw the line, enjoin, exhort, forewarn, give a going over, give a piece of one's mind, glue*, growl*, hoist, jack up, notice, rap on knuckles, rap, rebuke, reprimand, reprove, scold, sit on, slap on wrist, speak to, talk to, tell a thing or two, tell off, upbraid, warn |
| Antonyms: | applaud, approve, commend, compliment, extol, flatter, laud, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | assail |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack, usually with words |
| Synonyms: | abuse, assault, bash, berate, beset, blast, blister, bust, charge, come at, criticize, encounter, have at, impugn, invade, lambaste, lay into, malign, maltreat, molest, revile, set upon, trash*, vilify, work over |
| Notes: | to assail a task is to approach it with the intent of mastering it, from Latin salire 'to leap'; assault is also based on this word and assail and assault can be synonyms |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | attack |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | assault verbally |
| Synonyms: | abuse, berate, blame, blitz, censure, criticize, impugn, jump down one's throat, jump on one's case, lay into, malign, refute, reprove, revile, shoot down, stretch, vilify |
| Antonyms: | defend, resist, submit, withstand |
| Main Entry: | baste |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pummel, thrash |
| Synonyms: | batter, beat, berate, blister, clobber, club, drub, lambaste, lash, maul, pelt, revile, scold, trounce, wallop, whip, whomp |
| Main Entry: | castigate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | criticize severely |
| Synonyms: | baste, bawl out, beat, berate, blister, cane, censure, chasten, chastise, chew out, come down on, correct, criticize, discipline, drag over the coals, dress down, drub, excoriate, flay, flog, jump down one's throat, lambaste, lash, lay out, lean on, penalize, pummel, punish, rail, rate, read the riot act, ream, rebuke, reprimand, scarify, scathe, scold, scorch, scourge, thrash, tongue-lash, upbraid, whip |
| Antonyms: | compliment, laud, praise |
| Main Entry: | censure |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | condemn; criticize severely |
| Synonyms: | abuse, admonish, animadvert, asperse, attack, backbite, berate, blame, carp at, castigate, cavil, chastise, chide, contemn, cut up, denigrate, denounce, deprecate, disapprove, discipline, disparage, exprobate, find fault with, get after, impugn, incriminate, judge, knock, lecture, look askance, ostracize, pick apart, pull apart, read out, rebuff, rebuke, remonstrate, reprehend, reprimand, reproach, reprove, scold, take to task, tear apart, tell off, upbraid |
| Notes: | to censor is to disallow portions or the entireties of books, plays, etc. on the grounds that they transgress propriety, 'to scrutinize, revise, or cut,' expurgate or suppress; to censure is to criticize vehemently or harshly, or condemn |
| Antonyms: | allow, approve, compliment, endorse, laud, permit, sanction |
| Main Entry: | chasten |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | correct, humiliate |
| Synonyms: | abase, admonish, afflict, berate, call down, castigate, chastise, chide, cow, curb, discipline, exprobate, fulminate against, have on the carpet, humble, objurgate, penalize, punish, rake over the coals, rebuke, reprehend, repress, reprimand, reproach, reprove, restrain, scold, scourge, soften, subdue, take to task, tame, tongue-lash, try, upbraid |
| Notes: | chasten means to correct by punishment, to take to task - to restrain or subdue; chastise means to punish, as by beating or to criticize severely |
| Antonyms: | aid, animate, assist, boost, cheer, comfort, embolden, encourage, help, honor, uplift |
| Main Entry: | chastise |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | scold, discipline |
| Synonyms: | baste, beat, berate, castigate, censure, chasten, chew out, climb all over, correct, ferule, flog, lash, lay into, lean on, pummel, punish, ream, scourge, skelp, slap down, spank, thrash, upbraid, whip |
| Notes: | chasten means to correct by punishment, to take to task - to restrain or subdue; chastise means to punish, as by beating or to criticize severely |
| Antonyms: | cheer, comfort, compliment, encourage, forgive, inspirit, promote |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
