berate

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb berate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of berate are rail, revile, scold, upbraid, and vituperate. While all these words mean "to reproach angrily and abusively," berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding.

berated continually by an overbearing boss

When is rail a more appropriate choice than berate?

While in some cases nearly identical to berate, rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating.

railed loudly at their insolence

Where would revile be a reasonable alternative to berate?

In some situations, the words revile and berate are roughly equivalent. However, revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred.

an alleged killer reviled in the press

When could scold be used to replace berate?

The synonyms scold and berate are sometimes interchangeable, but scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.

angrily scolding the children

When can upbraid be used instead of berate?

The words upbraid and berate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds.

upbraided her assistants for poor research

When would vituperate be a good substitute for berate?

The meanings of vituperate and berate largely overlap; however, vituperate suggests a violent reviling.

was vituperated for betraying his friends

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of berate Trump publicly soured on the prospects of a nuclear deal with Iran after Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, berated the latest U.S. proposal earlier this month. Colin Meyn, The Hill, 13 June 2025 Federal prosecutors claim that in June 2024, a person sitting outside the coffee shop verbally berated a man who approached wearing a hat with the Star of David on it. Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 10 June 2025 Trump has threatened the sovereignty of allies and publicly berated their leaders, all while lavishing praise on the dictators and thugs who threaten them. Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025 Just hours before Powell’s comments, President Donald Trump again berated his decision to hold steady on interest rates. Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for berate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berate
Verb
  • Paul Krugman has referred to deficit hawks as ‘deficit scolds’, because the spend more time warning about the dangers of the deficit than fixing it.
    Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in Cabinet meetings where Musk scolded Gor over personnel disagreements in recent months.
    Ally Goelz, The Washington Examiner, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • Dan Baltic, a co-founder in New Ritual Press and one of tonight’s readers, remembers being reprimanded in 2019 in a writing workshop by a woman who was appalled by the alt-right protagonist of his debut novel, Nutcrankr.
    John McDermott, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025
  • Though city reprimanded the protesters, the group dissolved shortly after.
    Calista Oetama July 3, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2025
Verb
  • Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Lincoln Mitchell, a political strategy and campaign specialist who lectures at Columbia University, to understand what Mamdani’s primary win might indicate about the direction of national politics.
    Lincoln Mitchell, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
  • DuVernay presents the inhumanity of the situation without lecturing the audience or patronizing the subjects, instead providing an honest portrait of the fear, hope, and lost time that the Central Park Five experienced as the result of a profoundly broken justice system.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • At a time when establishing clarity of first principles has never been more urgent, UF’s law school practically dared anyone to criticize the award for whitewashing the Constitution.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2025
  • In his post, the New York state Assemblymember criticized online trolls for targeting Duwaji during his mayoral campaign.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 26 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Berate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berate. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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