flayed

verb

past tense of flay
1
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings her husband flayed her constantly for her incessant shopping

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in peeled
to remove the natural covering of flayed their kill right there in the forest, taking both the meat and the skin home

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 flayed But after Richard’s death, his mercenary captain and right-hand man, the infamous Mercadier, had Basile flayed alive and hanged. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 The apostle was believed to have met his martyrdom by being flayed alive. — Virginia Raguin, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flayed
  1. scolded
  2. peeled
  3. lectured
  4. reprimanded
  5. blamed
  6. criticized
Verb
  • Kirson remembered, adding that, minutes later, the show’s production team scolded her.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
  • In February, a California judge reportedly scolded Meta’s own lawyers for wearing the smart glasses in court.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Travelers should also keep their eyes peeled for special flash sales, which may be shorter in length, but can be greater in savings.
    — Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 July 2026
  • From there, the leathery red skin is easily peeled away (or popped out by squeezing from the opposite end) to reveal the fleshy white, glossy fruit that feels sort of like a grape without the peel.
    — Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2026
Definition of peeled
Verb
  • Parsipur taught at Brown University in the early 2000s and lectured internationally throughout the ensuing decades.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 13 July 2026
  • Once, in anthropology class, my professor lectured on an insular island tribe that cackled whenever someone got hurt.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of lectured
Verb
  • She was vilified and reprimanded for ACTUALLY taking a courageous stance against men in women’s sports and spaces.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
  • The league reprimanded the Aces for impermissible player benefits in 2023, docking Las Vegas a 2025 first-round draft pick, so stripping more draft capital as a punishment would not have been unprecedented.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • These CMOs typically last two to three years before growth plateaus despite rising spend, and they either get blamed for a weak pipeline or move to a role with cleaner metrics and smaller scope.
    — Vlada Grebenykova, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Many blamed the incident on his government’s progressive policies and publicly rallied for new border checks at sea, air and land ports of entry.
    — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of blamed
Verb
  • Musk moved both of those companies to Texas in recent years and has loudly criticized both California and Delaware (where a Tesla shareholder sued him over his record-setting compensation).
    — Maria Aspan, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In 2014, Cuban criticized the NFL for expanding its schedule to have games on more days of the week.
    — Jon Machota, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticized

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Cite this Entry

“Flayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flayed. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flayed

Nglish: Translation of flayed for Spanish Speakers

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