Lambaste — A Vocabulary Story
The Football Reporter
In a buzzing café in Buenos Aires, eleven-year-old Antonio sat opposite his older cousin, Carmen, who worked as a sports journalist. Outside, fans streamed past in blue-and-white shirts, still arguing about last night's match.
"You should read what they wrote about our goalkeeper," Carmen said, sliding her laptop across the table. "Every newspaper has decided to lambaste him for that one mistake."
Lambaste means to criticise someone harshly and publicly at length.
Antonio frowned at the headlines. "But he made six brilliant saves before that!"
"Exactly. It's far easier to lambaste a player than to praise him fairly. Critics often lambaste people the moment they slip, forgetting all the good moments before."
Antonio thought about his own football coach, who never seemed to lambaste the team after a loss. Instead, he asked them what they had learned.
"Are you going to lambaste him in your column too?" Antonio asked, nibbling a medialuna.
Carmen shook her head. "No. I'd rather be honest than cruel. If I lambaste someone unfairly, I become part of the problem."
She began typing, her fingers quick and certain. Antonio watched, impressed. He had always believed journalists simply reported events, but Carmen was choosing kindness without ignoring the truth.
"When I'm older," he said quietly, "I want to write like you — sharp, but never quick to lambaste."
Carmen smiled. "Then you'll write something worth reading."
Word Definition
lambaste
meaning
to criticise someone harshly and publicly at length
synonyms
berate · castigate · insult · reprimand · scold
antonyms
praise · commend · laud
example sentence
The critics lambasted the film for its poor script and wooden acting.