upbraid

verb

up·​braid ˌəp-ˈbrād 

upbraided; upbraiding; upbraids

transitive verb

1

: to criticize severely : find fault with

… upbraids all forms of ceremony …

—W. B. Yeats

2

: to reproach severely : scold vehemently

upbraided them for not helping their grandparents

upbraider noun

Did you know?

First things first: do not confuse upbraid with topknot lest you be upbraided for it. Topknot is a noun referring to a hairstyle, while upbraid is a verb (and an ancient one at that) meaning “to criticize or scold severely.” However, it may soothe your pride to know that the braid in upbraid likely comes from the same source as our hirsutal verb braid, meaning “to do up (the hair) by interweaving three or more strands.” That source is the Old English word bregdan, which could be used to mean “to snatch,” “to move suddenly,” or “to plait,” i.e. “braid.” The Old English verb ūpbregdan is probably a combination of this bregdan with ūp, meaning “up.” If the connection between moving suddenly upward at someone and berating them seems obscure, you might consider upbraid to be a more formal counterpart of the expression “to get/be in someone’s face.”

Synonyms of upbraid

• scold
• reprimand
• lecture
• criticize

Choose the Right Synonym for upbraid

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

Examples of upbraid in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Mother Mary shivers in the middle of the barn with her head slung low while Sam upbraids the pop star for leaving her behind for other, whiter designers when her career went supernova. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026

The Galaxy keeper turned and appeared to upbraid his defenders before clapping and trying to rally his team. —Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026

Immediately, Firesign’s Phil Austin (Nick Danger) and Peter Bergman (Lt. Bradshaw) stopped the show, stormed off the stage, rushed to where I was seated in the middle of the venue, and upbraided me for stealing Austin’s line. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026

At a hearing two days after the government dropped its charges against Baraka, the judge upbraided Stephen Demanovich, a federal prosecutor who had been assigned the case. —Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for upbraid

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

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Kids Definition

upbraid

verb

up·​braid ˌəp-ˈbrād 

: to criticize or scold severely