What does lambaste mean?
Lambaste means to criticize or rebuke someone severely, often in a forceful, uncompromising way. It is stronger and more expressive than criticize: writers may say that a politician lambasted an opposing policy, that reviewers lambasted a poorly acted film, or that an editor lambasted a report for serious errors. The verb can suggest public condemnation, indignation, or contempt, depending on context. Although it appears in both British and American English, it often has a formal or literary quality and is especially common in journalism and political commentary. Its vivid force makes it useful when the writer wants to convey not merely disagreement but sharp, sustained disapproval. The related noun form, lambasting, names the act of severe criticism, as in a public lambasting of an official.
verbTo criticize or rebuke severely. The word often conveys an emphatic, formal, or literary tone.
- To criticize or rebuke severely.
"The editor lambasted the report for its careless inaccuracies."
"Critics lambasted the proposal as impractical and insufficiently funded."
"She lambasted the committee in her report for failing to act."
Lambaste is a word for a particularly forceful verbal attack: it means to criticize someone so severely that the criticism sounds like a beating.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lambaste come from?
Lambaste comes from Dutch lam basten, an expression meaning to beat someone soundly. The phrase combines lam, meaning lame or crippled, with basten, meaning to beat; the image was of giving someone a beating so severe that they were left lame. English adopted the expression in the 17th century, initially meaning to beat physically and later shifting toward the meaning of severe verbal criticism.
Related word forms
How lambaste is actually used
The verb is more emphatic than criticize and can sound formal, literary, or deliberately strong. It is commonly used in journalism, political debate, and formal criticism.