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
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
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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While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Or on Bluesky with the joke scolds, or on Mastodon with the Linux hackers, or on Threads with the voice-forward brands?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
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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Continue reading … NEWSROOM REVOLT – Tensions rise at '60 Minutes' as Scott Pelley reportedly criticizes Bari Weiss.—
,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Inuit council criticizes White House statements The dispute is looming large in the lives of Greenlanders.—
Daniel Niemann,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The same government that lectures Beijing about state capitalism and nonmarket behaviors now practices it at home.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
23 Oct. 2025
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But Andres Bernal, a political analyst who lectures at the City University of New York, thinks many young voters look at Cuomo's history of controversy and are reminded of the Democratic Party establishment that has left them disillusioned.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The baseless blames for a nation’s problems.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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The current administration blames their predecessors.—
Ali Bauman,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Berates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berates. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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