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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of berating
Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2025
Cut to Alex, desperately tending to her dwindling fire while berating God for letting her experience love, only to rip it away from her.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ex-husband has apologized for berating three Muslim women in Georgia days after a video of the incident went viral.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 5 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
But after a week of berating the national retailers, Berry Chantilly lovers forced Whole Foods to listen to their requests.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
The actor makes the most of the material served to him on a silver platter, like berating Bart for his history of domestic violence or hallucinating his way through an infected gunshot wound.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Maron could be a reluctant subject, at times berating Feinartz off camera for relentlessly filming him over multiple years.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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
Cut to Alex, desperately tending to her dwindling fire while berating God for letting her experience love, only to rip it away from her.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ex-husband has apologized for berating three Muslim women in Georgia days after a video of the incident went viral.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 5 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
But after a week of berating the national retailers, Berry Chantilly lovers forced Whole Foods to listen to their requests.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
The actor makes the most of the material served to him on a silver platter, like berating Bart for his history of domestic violence or hallucinating his way through an infected gunshot wound.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Maron could be a reluctant subject, at times berating Feinartz off camera for relentlessly filming him over multiple years.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berating
Noun
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Two supervisors were also disciplined, with one suspended without pay for two days and another receiving a letter of reprimand.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Federal law provides that Srinivasan can dismiss the complaint, find that appropriate corrective action has been taken or appoint a committee to pursue further reprimand.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
29 July 2025
Noun
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While the administration frames this as a rebuke against an ideology, companies worldwide will feel the effects.—
Ryan Gellert,
Fortune,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Parks' take on the video drew rebukes from others on the internet.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
The way that today’s politics works, that should have earned me a lashing on social media.—
Joanna Allhands,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
-
As the Epstein scandal has heated up again, though, he’s also been on the receiving end of MAGA lashings from supporters who want to see the tapes go public.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
While most have become accustomed and perhaps even oblivious to McGregor’s online rants, openly criticizing a business partner is a little dicey.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
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Shiney-Ajay said Harris should have spent additional time criticizing lawmakers—like Manchin and Congressional Republicans—who limited the administration's climate goals, using it as a chance to emphasize her intent to seek greater climate victories in the future.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
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
Noun
-
Two weeks after first pointing a firehose of blistering criticism at the Donald Trump administration, South Park is still going full bore against Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
YouTube and other social media platforms are cracking down on age verification measures after facing criticism that teens could circumvent their safeguards by signing up with a fake birthdate.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The actor also has been involved in occurrences of being verbal and physically aggressive, hurling racists invectives, as well as being out and out violent on a number of occasions.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
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After nights of clashes, then-President Donald Trump, known for issuing directives and invectives through social media, fired off a series of posts shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
Noun
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But just this week, BPD arrested two undocumented immigrants caught on camera carrying out a violent attack in Canton.—
WBFF STAFF,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Education has been under attack in Florida for decades; the dumbing down of our schools and society is notorious.—
Robert Kesten,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Berating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berating. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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