teaching someone a lesson
Delivering deserved consequences
Teaching someone a lesson means punishing or retaliating against them to make them regret their behavior and think twice before repeating it.
The "lesson" is usually unpleasant—humiliation, pain, or loss—delivered to correct arrogance or wrongdoing: After he cheated her, she decided to teach him a lesson by exposing him publicly.
The phrase implies the target deserves what's coming.
- reprimandFormal expression of disapproval
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
- tough loveBeneficial strictness from affection
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- justiceFair treatment under law
consequence · school of hard knocks · fairness · punishment · taste of their own medicine · humility · correction · cautionary tale · accountability · deterrence · payback · comeuppance · empathy · reflection · growth · learning curve · responsibility · honesty
teaching someone a lessonlooking the other way
Deliberately ignoring wrongdoing
forgiving · turning a blind eye · soft-pedaling · pardoning · excusing
teaching someone a lessonnurturing
Supportive care-giving
encouraging · mentoring · positive reinforcement · hand-holding · coddling
teaching someone a lessonturning a blind eye
Intentionally disregarding something obvious
letting it go · biting one's tongue · keeping quiet · doing nothing · enabling
teaching, teacher, teachers, teachable, unteachable, someone, somebody, something, somewhat