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
After the dad walked back over to his son, the woman — also a Phillies fan — who lost the battle walked back over to the family and berated them.
—
Alex Krutchik, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Centrist Peronists, Radicals, and deputies responding to provincial governors have also provided support—all while being publicly berated and attacked by the president and his allies.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
She was berated for being too boy crazy in her teens, then for being too single in her 30s.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The president has berated Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his fellow officials for not lowering interest rates.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
Medvedev, always a volatile player who knows how to work a crowd, berated Allensworth and demanded that the crowd make some noise to show their displeasure.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
For an hour, Subramanyam was mostly berated by people who were ideologically aligned with him.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
After pushing his group to finish a treadmill run, Harper berated Gwynn for slowing down in the final seconds.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
For instance, staffers on his Macintosh team were once berated for having improper spacing in the system’s interface.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025
Alex Krutchik, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Centrist Peronists, Radicals, and deputies responding to provincial governors have also provided support—all while being publicly berated and attacked by the president and his allies.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
She was berated for being too boy crazy in her teens, then for being too single in her 30s.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The president has berated Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his fellow officials for not lowering interest rates.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
Medvedev, always a volatile player who knows how to work a crowd, berated Allensworth and demanded that the crowd make some noise to show their displeasure.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
For an hour, Subramanyam was mostly berated by people who were ideologically aligned with him.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
After pushing his group to finish a treadmill run, Harper berated Gwynn for slowing down in the final seconds.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
For instance, staffers on his Macintosh team were once berated for having improper spacing in the system’s interface.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berated
Verb
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Family matriarch Donna Adelson was scolded by a judge Thursday for weeping in the courtroom after being convicted of orchestrating a 2014 murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a prominent Florida State University law professor.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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Lox's reaction to being scolded.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Vance lectured Zelenskyy and argued the wartime leader hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military assistance the United States has given to his country.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
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We weren’t being lectured to anymore.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Geier, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology, has also been reprimanded by the Maryland Board of Physicians for practicing medicine without a medical license.—
Sarah Owermohle,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
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Plaza was later reprimanded by showrunner Michael Schur for taking the notes.—
Daysia Tolentino,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many members of the media criticized the team's performance as did supporters, who were not impressed with the Americans, particularly in the first half, when the Koreans controlled the game and scored both goals.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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In a phone interview, both sharply criticized the map and its impact on Kansas City’s representation in Congress.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Berated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berated. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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