scold

¹scold

noun \ˈskōld\

Definition of SCOLD

1

a : one who scolds habitually or persistently

b : a woman who disturbs the public peace by noisy and quarrelsome or abusive behavior

2

: scolding

Examples of SCOLD

1. He can be a bit of a scold sometimes.

Origin of SCOLD

Middle English scald, scold, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse skāld poet, skald, Icelandic skālda to make scurrilous verse

First Known Use: 12th century

Rhymes with SCOLD

bold, bowled, cold, fold, gold, hold, mold, old, polled, soled, souled, wold

²scold

verb

Definition of SCOLD

intransitive verb

1

obsolete : to quarrel noisily

2

: to find fault noisily or angrily

transitive verb

: to censure severely or angrily : rebuke

— scold·er noun

Examples of SCOLD

1. “You should never have done that,” she scolded.
2. <he scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen>

First Known Use of SCOLD

14th century

Related to SCOLD

Synonyms

baste, bawl out, berate, call down, castigate, chastise, chew out, dress down, flay, hammer, jaw, keelhaul, lambaste (or lambast), lecture, rag, rail (at or against), rant (at), rate, ream (out), rebuke, reprimand, reproach, score, tongue-lash, upbraid, lay into, read the riot act (to), take to task

Related Words

admonish, chide, remonstrate (with), reprove; abuse, assail, attack, bad-mouth, blame, blast, censure, condemn, criticize, crucify, denounce, dis (also diss) [slang], excoriate, fault, harangue, knock, lace (into), lash, pan, reprehend, revile, scourge, slam, vituperate; belittle, disparage, mock, put down; ridicule, scoff, scorn

Near Antonyms

approve, endorse (also indorse), sanction; extol (also extoll), laud, praise

Synonym Discussion of SCOLD

scold, upbraid, berate, rail, revile, vituperate mean to reproach angrily and abusively. scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly <angrily scolding the children>. upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds <upbraided her assistants for poor research>. berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding <berated continually by an overbearing boss>. rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating <railed loudly at their insolence>. revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred <an alleged killer reviled in the press>. vituperate suggests a violent reviling <was vituperated for betraying his friends>.