noun
- A severe scolding.
- synonyms: castigation, earful, bawling out, chewing out, upbraiding, going-over
verb
- Censure severely or angrily.
- usage: "The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car"; "The deputy ragged the Prime Minister"; "The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup"
- synonyms: call on the carpet, take to task, rebuke, rag, trounce, reproof, lecture, reprimand, jaw, dress down, call down, scold, chide, berate, bawl out, remonstrate, chew out, chew up, have words, lambaste, lambast
- Dress informally and casually.
- usage: "On Fridays, employees can underdress"
- synonyms: dress down, underdress
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). dressing down. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/dressing_down/definitions/1327335 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "dressing down" http://smartdefine.org/dressing_down/definitions/1327335 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, dressing down, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/dressing_down/definitions/1327335>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "dressing down" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/dressing_down/definitions/1327335> |