as in defeat
failure to win a contest
suffered a shellacking at the hands of a vastly superior opposition
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in drubbing
to defeat by a large margin
the local football team was shellacked 35-0 in their final outing for the season
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Recent Examples of shellacking
Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024
The previous one came against the Green Bay Packers in a wild card playoff loss at AT&T Stadium last January, a 48-32 shellacking that was a lot worse than the score indicated.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
The Dodgers’ second straight loss — on the heels of Wednesday night’s 10-1 shellacking at the hands of the Angels in Anaheim — reduced their NL West lead over the San Diego Padres to four games.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2024
Since last facing the Raiders in December, a 63-21 shellacking that wasn’t even that close, L.A. has drop-kicked its general manager, coaching staff, nearly half its roster and a reputation of learning on its sizzle instead of its strength.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shellacking 
Noun
On May 23, 2002, the left-handed-hitting Green smashed four home runs, a double and a single, amassing a major league-record 19 total bases and driving in seven runs to lead the Dodgers to a 16-3 shellacking of the Milwaukee Brewers in Miller Park.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024
The previous one came against the Green Bay Packers in a wild card playoff loss at AT&T Stadium last January, a 48-32 shellacking that was a lot worse than the score indicated.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
The Dodgers’ second straight loss — on the heels of Wednesday night’s 10-1 shellacking at the hands of the Angels in Anaheim — reduced their NL West lead over the San Diego Padres to four games.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2024
Since last facing the Raiders in December, a 63-21 shellacking that wasn’t even that close, L.A. has drop-kicked its general manager, coaching staff, nearly half its roster and a reputation of learning on its sizzle instead of its strength.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shellacking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shellacking
Noun
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The collapse is a major defeat for Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who had cobbled together a deal to avoid a government shutdown just before the Christmas holiday—only to be undercut at the last minute by the leader of his own party and the world’s richest man.Brian Bennett, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
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First-year Tulane coach Jon Sumrall doesn’t want to end with three straight defeats, but recognizes the challenge ahead.Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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While these young men shifted away from Harris in unanticipated margins, Hogg says Democrats' losses this election are bigger than just one voting bloc -- and hopes that extreme candor and commitments to those groups will not only rebuild but expand the party.Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024
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Notre Dame previously fell as low as No. 10 following back-to-back losses to No. 12 TCU and Utah at the Cayman Islands Classic, but the Irish have bounced back decisively since returning from the trip with double-digit wins over both No. 6 Texas and UConn.Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Chefs have attempted to remedy this by whipping the egg whites to add some airiness, but even then, the result is plenty thick.Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
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Instead of whipping the ball into the box, the ball was played short to Adams at the top of United’s penalty area.Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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There's no shortage of brutality in the book or the film, but the movie doesn't explicitly show the beatings, abuse or racist acts.Felecia Wellington Radel, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
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The veteran took a one-sided beating through nearly three rounds against Joaquin Buckley in the main event in Tampa.Brian Mazique, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Despite an initial setback in November, where the court declined their request, the teams eventually triumphed on appeal.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
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Yet both of those extended bull cycles featured two 19% S & P 500 setbacks each (in 1990, 1998, 2011 and 2018), barely stopping short of a loss that would’ve punctuated them.Michael Santoli, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Both came off of emotional conference championship performances with Texas losing the SEC championship game and Clemson upsetting SMU in the ACC title game.Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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Failing to do so risks upsetting a leader with a short fuse and the power to sink a company’s stock or ignite a boycott with a single social media post.Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Shellacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shellacking. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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