as in scolding
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in reprimand
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Recent Examples of berating
Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Current and former division attorneys interviewed by ProPublica and The Chronicle said the lawyers had misgivings about the administration’s tactics and were reluctant to work with Terrell, who already had a reputation for berating staffers.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Devon Hogan Flanagan, a special assistant attorney general in Rhode Island, who was caught on video berating police officers trying to remove her from a restaurant after she was asked to leave, has been placed on unpaid leave for six months.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2025
Ellis also accused the rapper of berating and body-shaming her and spitting on her.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
The sheriff should be berating the mayor and commissioners, who decide how to spend city money.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
After the report, an aide to Marte, Steven Wong, sent the journalist voice messages berating her with misogynistic slurs.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2025
After berating Beijing for its restrictions, Washington is putting up the same barriers.
—Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2025
Don’t compound your child’s guilt and discomfort by berating them for their scratching.
—Andy Collinson, Health, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
LaFleur got into a verbal altercation with a Detroit Lions fan before a game and received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for berating an official in a loss to Minnesota.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Current and former division attorneys interviewed by ProPublica and The Chronicle said the lawyers had misgivings about the administration’s tactics and were reluctant to work with Terrell, who already had a reputation for berating staffers.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Devon Hogan Flanagan, a special assistant attorney general in Rhode Island, who was caught on video berating police officers trying to remove her from a restaurant after she was asked to leave, has been placed on unpaid leave for six months.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2025
Ellis also accused the rapper of berating and body-shaming her and spitting on her.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
The sheriff should be berating the mayor and commissioners, who decide how to spend city money.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
After the report, an aide to Marte, Steven Wong, sent the journalist voice messages berating her with misogynistic slurs.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2025
After berating Beijing for its restrictions, Washington is putting up the same barriers.
—Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2025
Don’t compound your child’s guilt and discomfort by berating them for their scratching.
—Andy Collinson, Health, 19 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berating
Noun
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Griffin’s warning represents a rare reprimand from a CEO at a time when many business leaders have tried to steer clear of publicly criticizing the president and others have gone out of their way to curry favor.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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He was temporarily banned from attending department meetings, and a letter of reprimand was added to his file.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This is the last organization that should be lecturing anyone about respecting the game.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Faculty across the state rebuked it as an infringement on academic freedom and warned of a mass chilling effect on free speech and lecturing on divisive topics.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Israel's attack in Qatar, which has been hosting Gaza ceasefire talks, drew a rebuke from the White House and was condemned by countries around the world.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The Biden administration’s CIA chief gave his scathing rebuke of the current administration’s transformation of the intelligence community during an event with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But despite the excessive lashings of déjà vu, these are storytelling clichés that work.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Jeff Tillotson, a lawyer for Teleport, blamed the missing lashing on a contractor, who is not a party to the lawsuit.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The reaction to Noack's viral Instagram post has been overwhelming, with many people criticizing her and her parenting style.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The dispute also drew in renowned rabblerouser Wack 100, who defended Adam22 while criticizing Styles’ stance.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In the appeal to you, gentle readers, to email us with your thoughts, questions, reproofs, corrections, jokes, recipes, etc.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
9 May 2025
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Advertisement China’s Foreign Ministry also issued a vehement reproof.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Elsewhere in the book, Sheen writes about his public meltdown amid his firing from his hit CBS sitcom, blaming his rage on testosterone cream.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
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Republicans control a trifecta in Washington — the House, Senate and White House — meaning that blaming Democrats for a shutdown could be a hard sell.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Among Democrats, criticism has grown louder as the war becomes deeply unpopular with the party base.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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But the Cowboys, who gave out big extensions to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott, couldn't come to terms with him on a new deal, which led to Jones receiving plenty of criticism.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Berating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berating. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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