as in scolds
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 berates
And Vance berates Democrats in a visit to Minneapolis.
—
Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
Cast members performed on The Tonight Show and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, in a sketch in which host Bad Bunny berates his friends for failing to grasp the movie’s brilliance.
—Eliza Berman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
The president publicly berates reporters — often female ones — for cheap laughs several times a week, and is met with little more than shrugs.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Oct. 2025
In another clip, his mother berates Pormanove over the phone for letting the co-streamers shave off parts of his hair.
—Philippe Cordier, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
Cast members performed on The Tonight Show and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, in a sketch in which host Bad Bunny berates his friends for failing to grasp the movie’s brilliance.
—Eliza Berman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
The president publicly berates reporters — often female ones — for cheap laughs several times a week, and is met with little more than shrugs.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Oct. 2025
In another clip, his mother berates Pormanove over the phone for letting the co-streamers shave off parts of his hair.
—Philippe Cordier, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berates
Verb
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McMahon likes to remind scolds that wrestling is a morality play.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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This cross-partisan skit is refreshing and the only people who might hate it are Cuomo supporters and maybe some woke scolds.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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OpenAI memo criticizes Anthropic watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
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Schiavo raised a similar concern, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board regularly criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators for not implementing obvious solutions, even after accidents occur.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When not writing, May frequently lectures on the politics and policies of mass incarceration for university classes, academic conferences, and online events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
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With me, my wife lectures me more than my children.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The oil industry blames California’s environmental policies for driving them out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Over a year after their podcast Plan Bri Uncut ended, LaPaglia blames Call Her Daddy’s founding father, Alex Cooper, for the nail in the coffin for her friendship with O’Malley.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Berates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berates. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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