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

Zelenskyy walked away from the meeting not only empty-handed, but apparently upbraided by Trump, who said Ukraine should accept Russia’s terms for ending the war — by handing over the entire eastern territory of Donbas, the epicenter of ongoing fighting in Ukraine. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025

Soon there was an altercation at the front desk, when a Haitian upbraided the American peons about not getting her free stuff fast enough. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025

Schumer is the latest Democrat on Capitol Hill to upbraid Kennedy in recent days over the measles outbreak. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 13 July 2025

The stupidity of his denigration of the COVID vaccines — there’s that word again — brought him a joint upbraiding by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2023. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024

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