as in to dislike
to hold an unfavorable opinion of
some guests tsk-tsked the fact that the bride and groom were taking selfies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of tsk-tsk
The leech therapist, whose name was Sandra, made a tsk-tsk sound over the phone.
—
Blair Braverman, Outside, 21 Jan. 2026
The first scene of Replicas has a robot tearing itself apart in horror upon having a dead man’s consciousness uploaded into it; the second scene has Alice Eve, playing Reeves’s husband, casually tsk-tsking her husband in the kitchen for trying to bring all those people back to life.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Instead of playing music while the gymnasts performed, Bercy Arena turned into a church, complete with would-be church ladies tsk-tsking people who dared to react when the gymnasts nailed a skill on beam.
—Dana O'Neil, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Blair Braverman, Outside, 21 Jan. 2026
The first scene of Replicas has a robot tearing itself apart in horror upon having a dead man’s consciousness uploaded into it; the second scene has Alice Eve, playing Reeves’s husband, casually tsk-tsking her husband in the kitchen for trying to bring all those people back to life.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Instead of playing music while the gymnasts performed, Bercy Arena turned into a church, complete with would-be church ladies tsk-tsking people who dared to react when the gymnasts nailed a skill on beam.
—Dana O'Neil, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tsk-tsk
Verb
-
Yet its polarizing effect may be the key to its magnetism; even those who dislike it have certainly absorbed some of its fragrant dolorousness into their bones.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Schmidt emphasized to the jurors that the case is not about whether social media is a good thing or whether teens spend too much time on their phones or whether the jurors like or dislike Meta, but whether social media was a substantial factor in KGM’s mental health struggles.—
Barbara Ortutay,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Since last fall, the Media Research Center, a right-wing organization that criticizes legacy media outlets, has turned its attention on Apple News’ story selection.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
While the vote was unanimous, Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds criticized the majority of her colleagues who approved new contracts with two of the district’s labor groups, United Teachers of Richmond and Teamsters Local 856, the union representing custodial staff, cafeteria workers and others.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tsk-tsk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tsk-tsk. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
