as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
there's no need to berate someone for making a mistake during the first day on the job
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Recent Examples of berate
Trump has long berated Britain over its plans to stop drilling new domestic oil and gas, which could help power future AI data centers.
—
Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Trump has berated Fed Chairman Jerome Powell for being too slow to lower interest rates to spur growth.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
That occurred after Becky berated Punk in the ring and continually slapped and hit him.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The coach focused on helping his team settle and regain their confidence rather than berating them for falling behind.
—Jay Feldstein, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for berate
Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
Trump has berated Fed Chairman Jerome Powell for being too slow to lower interest rates to spur growth.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
That occurred after Becky berated Punk in the ring and continually slapped and hit him.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The coach focused on helping his team settle and regain their confidence rather than berating them for falling behind.
—Jay Feldstein, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for berate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berate
Verb
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Rachel Dratch scolded Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz for laughing while rehearsing the original Debbie Downer sketch on Saturday Night Live.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
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There, she is repeatedly scolded, first by a testy parking attendant (Mark Stolzenberg), and then by a doctor (Bronstein), who warns Linda of consequences if her daughter doesn’t soon reach her target weight of fifty pounds.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cast members immediately reacted to Caroline’s misgendering, with some reprimanding her, while others covered their faces in embarrassment.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
8 Oct. 2025
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When a school principal (Ashley Padilla) and a teacher (Mikey Day) reprimand a student (Hernandez) for disturbing drawings of him attacking the principal, the student’s father (Bad Bunny) comes in, and Padilla’s principal, immediately smitten, changes course to hitting on the student’s father.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Augusta was a devout Christian who often lectured the Bible to her sons and blamed alcohol and women for the evils of the world, per the outlet.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
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Clarke and his business partner sold photographs and films, wrote and lectured about their adventures, and began treasure hunting.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since leaving the British royal family in 2020 and stepping down from their roles as senior members of The Firm, Harry and Meghan have faced backlash for their media ventures and transition into Hollywood, with many criticizing the couple’s lack of views on their Netflix content.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
12 Oct. 2025
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Beijing has long criticized Washington for exerting control beyond its borders through export rules that bar third-country companies from supplying China with chips made using American technology.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Berate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berate. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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