as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rail (at or against)
Verb
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Whether this comes off as a joke or as an invitation for scolding (spoken or unspoken, loving or otherwise) depends entirely on the other Muslims in the room.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025 -
But there was a time Emily Deschanel, who played the meticulous forensic anthropologist through 12 seasons of Bones, got scolded for being just that — and the memory still makes the star emotional.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Gavin could learn something to benefit Californians rather than lecturing Americans 3,000 miles away.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
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Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Lincoln Mitchell, a political strategy and campaign specialist who lectures at Columbia University, to understand what Mamdani’s primary win might indicate about the direction of national politics.—
Lincoln Mitchell,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The responding officer later reprimanded the woman for entering the vehicle to help the dog.—
Sydney Sasser
July 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 July 2025
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Some judges are known to reprimand attorneys who miss deadlines and even sanction them.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Miles, the Manual student, noted how when she and her fellow bus riders were called down to the office to receive information on the return of transportation, almost all of them were Black.—
Grace Fridy,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 2025
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Upper apartments, though, were built without kitchens, since their owners might as well call down for room service.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Workwear styling aside, the pants can be easily dressed down with a T-shirt and sneakers for casual outings.—
Emily Weaver,
People.com,
10 July 2025
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Use the sleek stepper as a way to dress up a Pilates uniform or dress down bohemian dresses, showing your sporty side and tapping into some juxtaposition this season.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Instances when the coach chewed out the quarterback for being late on a throw.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
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But to chew out his boss--Edwin Stanton, secretary of war--would be more than just getting close to the line of insubordination.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump doubled down on his past criticism and blamed Biden for Powell remaining in the role.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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While most of us could only dream of being so effortlessly chic, Parisians have it down pat—so who could blame us for wanting to borrow some of their go-to French fashion styles?—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
15 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rail (at or against).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rail%20%28at%20or%20against%29. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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