as in scolding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
several readers called in to rag the editor for his paper's repeated grammatical lapses
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Recent Examples of ragging
In November, Green spoke to PEOPLE at the 2025 CMA Awards in Nashville, and shared a similar story about his friends ragging on him for being crowned Sexiest Country Star Alive.
—
Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ragging
Verb
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Crucially, the film avoids the trap of scolding younger generations or romanticizing the past.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
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Sanders, by now a perennial candidate, perfected his craggy, scolding, mitten-waving style.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sometimes the messages got feisty, with Epstein lecturing Karp over a fee.—
Tom Schoenberg,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Before the world complicated things with espresso machines, oat milk debates, and influencers lecturing to you about grind size, wild coffee trees were clinging to the Ethiopian highlands.—
John Noakes,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Harnessing the camp of countless Drag Race acting challenges that came before her, Jujubee films a close-up reaction to a group of rowdy passengers reprimanding her, escalating the moment until her face is full-on twitching before a physical confrontation.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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Censures, a means of formally reprimanding a lawmaker without going so far as to expel them, have historically been rare; in the 200 years after Congress first convened, only 22 House members were censured.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But the familiar narrative — blaming teachers, curriculum or school culture — misses deeper structural realities behind the numbers.—
Jill Stegman,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Over time, this builds discernment and institutional memory, and ensures that people take responsibility for their calls, rather than blaming the models.—
Carolyn Dewar,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In multiple phone calls from jail, Nathan Gingles discussed the dependency court case, asking his friend in Texas to pass along information and criticizing Mary’s sister, who was fighting for custody against Schuler.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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Both companies have also gotten more vocal in public in recent weeks, with executives openly criticizing each other's businesses.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ragging. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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