as in reprimand
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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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Recent Examples of berating
Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud's berating of a Christian minister who objected to street signs named after an Arab American leader is being called out by his electoral opponent.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Luke Barr, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Other potential candidates, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gavin Newsom, have achieved fame by berating and ridiculing the other side.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
She is accused of loudly berating District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur during a one-on-one meeting earlier this month.
—Molly Smith, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Feb. 2026
Messi, Inter Miami’s captain, frequently speaks to referees, but has never been fined or suspended by MLS for confronting or berating them.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
After center Steven Jamerson II committed a hard foul with UCLA trailing by 27, Cronin was caught on camera berating the 6-foot-10 center before sending him to the locker room mid-game.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, shows LaBeouf berating actors and crew members, instigating a fistfight and engaging in other aggressive behavior.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
The film featured numerous scenes of LaBeouf verbally berating his students and occasionally getting physical with them.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
Advocates for Eastside Beltline light rail took turns blasting the MARTA Board of Directors at its meeting Thursday, berating the board for the transit agency’s pace of project delivery and for the decision made by a small group of officials to quietly stop work on the project last year.
—Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
Trump’s berating of China earlier this year has also brought rewards to Xi domestically, too.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud's berating of a Christian minister who objected to street signs named after an Arab American leader is being called out by his electoral opponent.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
Noem and her chief adviser Corey Lewandowski -- who is reportedly also departing DHS -- both had a knack for lashing out, yelling and berating staff that crossed them, according to sources.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Other potential candidates, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gavin Newsom, have achieved fame by berating and ridiculing the other side.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
She is accused of loudly berating District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur during a one-on-one meeting earlier this month.
—Molly Smith, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Feb. 2026
Messi, Inter Miami’s captain, frequently speaks to referees, but has never been fined or suspended by MLS for confronting or berating them.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
After center Steven Jamerson II committed a hard foul with UCLA trailing by 27, Cronin was caught on camera berating the 6-foot-10 center before sending him to the locker room mid-game.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, shows LaBeouf berating actors and crew members, instigating a fistfight and engaging in other aggressive behavior.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
The film featured numerous scenes of LaBeouf verbally berating his students and occasionally getting physical with them.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
Advocates for Eastside Beltline light rail took turns blasting the MARTA Board of Directors at its meeting Thursday, berating the board for the transit agency’s pace of project delivery and for the decision made by a small group of officials to quietly stop work on the project last year.
—Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berating
Noun
-
Givens faced scrutiny last year after the State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued a public reprimand and an admonition, citing conduct that included allowing a staff member to impersonate her during a 2021 bond hearing and taking action in cases after she had been recused.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Of those, one was sustained, and Givens was issued a reprimand.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Saxon said Ye kept him constantly on edge, demanding photo updates of construction work, scolding him for wearing blue instead of the all-black worker uniform Ye preferred, and suddenly adding 24/7 security duties to his workload.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Porter was initially viewed as having a potential edge in the race, but her prospects dimmed after videos emerged in October of the UC Irvine law professor scolding a reporter and swearing at an aide.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In a rare public rebuke, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission used social media to criticize Amazon for opposing SpaceX’s orbital data center plan.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
-
That made Thursday’s vote in the House a largely symbolic rebuke of the President’s actions rather than a practical one, a test of whether enough Republicans were willing to buck party leadership to advance the measure.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Therefore, now is not the time to be lecturing our partners and allies.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
-
That includes lecturing, building curriculum, pursuing research and speaking about university policy.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The pan sauce on this dish was the essence of roasted chicken, with a lashing of lemon zing ($29).—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The 6-3 ruling against Trump’s levies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act earned the six justices in the majority a severe tongue lashing.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Still, don’t discount the power of comforting or reprimanding statements, because both are necessary in their own ways.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Harnessing the camp of countless Drag Race acting challenges that came before her, Jujubee films a close-up reaction to a group of rowdy passengers reprimanding her, escalating the moment until her face is full-on twitching before a physical confrontation.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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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Many of the same political leaders directing this war spent years criticizing the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.—
Shawn Vandiver,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have released a number of reports criticizing the Israeli military for failing to provide sufficient evidence for its attacks on Lebanese targets.—
Justin Salhani,
The Dial,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Berating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berating. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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