dressing-down

noun

dres·​sing-down ˌdre-siŋ-ˈdau̇n How to pronounce dressing-down (audio)
Synonyms of dressing-downnext
: a severe reprimand

Examples of dressing-down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And while this dressing-down of beloved works might seem like another bummer in a world of doomscrolling, @heartthrobanderson is anything but. Jessica Lipsky, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026 This change comes after Grok received a dressing-down from users and international officials for complying with requests to digitally undress women and underage girls or create sexualized deep fakes of them without their consent. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026 Earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sat in the Oval Office and endured a brutal dressing-down. Tom Nagorski, Time, 16 Oct. 2025 Nothing, perhaps, has grated more than last month’s Oval Office dressing-down of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025 Nine goals, a 30-minute hat-trick, an unlikely comeback, a last-gasp winner, comedic errors and a dressing-down on the pitch at full-time, all played out in teeming rain in Lisbon, made this a night to remember. Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dressing-down was in 1823

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dressing-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dressing-down. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

dressing-down

noun
dres·​sing-down
ˌdres-iŋ-ˈdau̇n
: a severe criticism

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