upbraid

verb up·braid \ ˌəp-ˈbrād \

|Updated on: 28 May 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: upbraid in a Sentence

Definition of upbraid

upbraided; upbraiding; upbraids

transitive verb

1 : to criticize severely : find fault with

2 : to reproach severely : scold vehemently

—

upbraider

noun

See upbraid defined for English-language learners

See upbraid defined for kids

upbraid was our Word of the Day on 04/26/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of upbraid in a Sentence

his wife upbraided him for his irresponsible handling of the family finances

Recent Examples of upbraid from the Web

Another apparent contradiction is that three sources maintained Green never met with the team outside their regular daily hitters meeting and never upbraided them.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Eric Hosmer shocked by supposed rift with Andy Green, hint of Padres discord," 9 May 2018
In fact, in a statement mildly upbraiding the Ukrainian government, the German ambassador to Kiev both criticized the Hungarians for overreacting and failed to mention Russian speakers.

— graeme robertson, Washington Post, "Ukrainians are protesting corruption — and using a new approach. Here's how it works.," 7 Mar. 2018
Last year, she was upbraided by a top federal ethics official for touting the clothing line sold by Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump.

— Washington Post, "White House adviser Kellyanne Conway violated Hatch Act, federal investigator says," 6 Mar. 2018
Yet the Trump administration has repeatedly upbraided the organization as slow and incapable of resolving problems, like China's mercantilist behavior.

— don lee, latimes.com, "How Trump's tariffs on metals could blow apart the international trade order," 17 Mar. 2018
He is upbraided for this by Athos, who places chivalry above all else.

— tobias grey, WSJ, "Alexandre Dumas’s Brotherly Love," 16 Mar. 2018
After the Parkland shooting, businesses affiliated with the NRA came under pressure as never before, with protesters using Twitter and Facebook to threaten boycotts and students at the school upbraiding politicians for taking its money.

— ivan levingston, chicagotribune.com, "These 3,100 businesses love the NRA even as others pull back," 12 Mar. 2018
Klages’s response then, Lemke recalled, was to upbraid her and warn her against spreading false information.

— marc tracy, New York Times, "For Nassar Accusers From Michigan State Teams, Feelings of a Trust Betrayed," 5 Feb. 2018
Trump put his chief of staff, John Kelly, in charge of making that happen, and Kelly called Justice Department officials multiple times to upbraid them for criticizing the likely disclosure.

— zeke miller, The Seattle Times, "Trump seized on what memo could mean even before reading it," 4 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upbraid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of upbraid

Middle English upbreyden, from Old English ūpbregdan, probably from ūp up + bregdan to snatch, move suddenly — more at braid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

upbraid Synonyms

Synonyms

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, scold, score, tongue-lash;

Near Antonyms

approve, endorse (also indorse), sanction;

extol (also extoll), laud, praise;

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;

Phrases

lay into, read the riot act (to), take to task;

Synonym Discussion of upbraid

scold, upbraid, berate, rail, revile, vituperate mean to reproach angrily and abusively. scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.