1
Core action
Criticize someone or something very harshly and publicly.
Example
Reviewers lambasted the report for ignoring contrary evidence.
lambast
/læmˈbæst/ · lam-BASTverb
Criticize someone or something very harshly and publicly.
Use lambast to express this relationship precisely: criticize someone or something very harshly and publicly.
What lambast Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common construction
Use this expression in its normal grammatical frame so the relationship between the surrounding ideas remains explicit.
Example
The opposition lambasted officials over the costly delay.
3
Reasoning effect
It tells the reader how to interpret the timing, scope, evidence, contrast, condition, or consequence in the statement.
Example
Critics may lambast a policy without proposing an alternative.
Use lambast Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Reviewers lambasted the report for ignoring contrary evidence.
The opposition lambasted officials over the costly delay.
Critics may lambast a policy without proposing an alternative.
Precision Matters
Lambast overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
lambast
vs.Means criticize someone or something very harshly and publicly.
acclaim
Means enthusiastic and public praise.
lambast
vs.Means criticize someone or something very harshly and publicly.
extol
Means praise someone or something enthusiastically and publicly.
lambast
vs.Means criticize someone or something very harshly and publicly.
placate
Means make an angry, dissatisfied, or hostile person calmer and less likely to oppose or retaliate.
lambast
vs.Means criticize someone or something very harshly and publicly.
censure
Means strong formal criticism or official disapproval.
Test lambast in Context
The editorials criticize the agency severely.
1
Editorials began to ___ the agency after its repeated safety failures became public.