as in scolded
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 berated
The lawsuit also said that when complaints were made about the harassment, they were not properly investigated and the employees were subject to retaliation, including being given double shifts, being accused of wrongdoing and being berated and yelled at by supervisors.
—
Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Some have cut off communication, walked away from him, or berated him.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Noem’s dissmissal comes after she was berated by lawmakers on Capitol Hill over a series of disastrous blunders by her department, including the killings of two American citizens by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and apparent attempts by DHS to stifle investigations into the shootings.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
They were berated with demeaning and misogynistic names.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 20 Feb. 2026
Sylvia berated Lew all the way home to Weston.
—Allegra Goodman, Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
McPhatter berated the man and threw him against a patrol car twice, and when the man antagonized McPhatter from the back seat of his police cruiser, the cop reached back and grabbed the glasses off his face, prosecutors allege.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
O’Sullivan berated an on-site staff member while using more than a dozen expletives during a 47-second video of the incident.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
In 2008, towards the beginning of his presidency, Barack Obama frequently berated oil speculators for artificially inflating prices.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Some have cut off communication, walked away from him, or berated him.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Noem’s dissmissal comes after she was berated by lawmakers on Capitol Hill over a series of disastrous blunders by her department, including the killings of two American citizens by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and apparent attempts by DHS to stifle investigations into the shootings.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
They were berated with demeaning and misogynistic names.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 20 Feb. 2026
Sylvia berated Lew all the way home to Weston.
—Allegra Goodman, Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
McPhatter berated the man and threw him against a patrol car twice, and when the man antagonized McPhatter from the back seat of his police cruiser, the cop reached back and grabbed the glasses off his face, prosecutors allege.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
O’Sullivan berated an on-site staff member while using more than a dozen expletives during a 47-second video of the incident.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
In 2008, towards the beginning of his presidency, Barack Obama frequently berated oil speculators for artificially inflating prices.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berated
Verb
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He’s scolded by fox and hawk for being out in the rain, but Bear shares his berries with Marvin, who gets a ride home on the back of Deer.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
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Tsuyoshi Tahara founded the inaugural race in 2010 in Kyotanabe city, Kyoto prefecture – inspired by a childhood teacher who once scolded him for playing with an office chair.—
Trista Kurniawan,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Joanna Fabicon, who has lectured on contemporary children’s literature at UCLA, added that educators, librarians and publishers must all grapple with the allegations against Chávez and decide how to move forward.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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Thiel has previously written and lectured on the subject, arguing that the Antichrist is not necessarily a person but could come as a global government system.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If this is for a work assignment, the consequence could be getting reprimanded for either taking too long or producing work of sub-par quality.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
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That’s part of it, sometimes, but multiple girls do that this week and then get reprimanded for not having enough family resemblance.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Last season during a livestream, Nacua criticized NFL officials and made a gesture regarded as antisemitic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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Canada's Prime Minister and Quebec's legislature criticized the CEO for the language lapse.—
Allison Lampert,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Berated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berated. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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