dressing-down

American  

[dres-ing-doun] / ˈdrɛs ɪŋˈdaʊn /

noun

1. a severe reprimand; scolding.

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dressing-down British  

noun

1. informal a severe scolding or thrashing

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Etymology

Origin of dressing-down

1860–65, noun use (with -ing ¹ ) of verb phrase dress down

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dressing-down

And while this dressing-down of beloved works might seem like another bummer in a world of doomscrolling, @heartthrobanderson is anything but.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

Some of those present left unhappy with the message and what they took as a dressing-down, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026

This is a historic dressing-down of somebody who thought they were made of Teflon.

From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2026

"The recent dressing-down of Ukraine President Zelensky by President Trump and Vice-President Vance was a glitch on a media stage."

From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2025

I even had one hazy fantasy where Miss Geraldine herself heard about it and gave Ruth a complete dressing-down in front of everyone.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro