Verb
“You should never have done that,” she scolded.
he scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen Noun
He can be a bit of a scold sometimes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But even after that scolding, Charly was the one who was asked to pack his knives and go.—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024 After being scolded by Isabel for shooting Mike first, Armando continues with his hit list, eliminating a judge, prosecutor and forensics analyst in the months that follow while Mike is in a coma.—Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024 The actor had been scolded early in his career for talking to the main actors on a set, and has learned to exercise caution when approaching stars.—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024 But Derwin Norwood, the only Black commissioner on the city council, made an impassioned plea at the end of the meeting, scolding the community for fighting rather than forgiving.—Ashley Killough, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024 The Whoopi Goldberg War Room sprung into military action in an exciting moment from Tuesday's broadcast, as its commander-in-chief paused a live broadcast of The View to scold a studio audience member for secretly recording the ladies' Hot Topics discussion from his seat.—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024 And she was scolded for railing against COVID-19 restrictions during the 2021 March Madness tournament, while cases were still high and people had not yet been vaccinated.—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024 All the while, world leaders elsewhere, even allies, are scolding the United States for its complicity in the ongoing crisis.—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 When a stiff wind blew up her skirt, Middleton was scolded by tabloids for not properly fitting her dresses’ hems with weights.—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
Don’t be a scold, don’t be a moaner, don’t be a finger-wagging elitist, don’t be an eco-bore, don’t be a mentally ill homeless guy.—James Parker, The Atlantic, 5 May 2022 His showdowns with the head of the local diocese, played as a puckish scold by Malcolm McDowell, are some of the best in the film.—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2022 When Roger Goodell suspended Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for at least one full season for betting on NFL games, the commissioner was very careful with the wording of his official scold.—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2022 Bozell, who plays a media scold on television, has written a book that despite its subtitle is neither dogmatic nor even thematic.—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 6 Jan. 2022 This is tricky to pull off, though, without turning into exactly the kind of scold that sitcoms have been mocking since time immemorial.—Jeva Lange, The Week, 11 June 2021 Dude, Daniel is now married to chief scold Amanda LaRusso.—Cydney Lee, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scold.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English scald, scold, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse skāld poet, skald, Icelandic skālda to make scurrilous verse
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