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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in reprimand
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of berating
Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 24 Sep. 2025
The coach focused on helping his team settle and regain their confidence rather than berating them for falling behind.
—Jay Feldstein, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 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
Verb
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
Noun
Over the past week, some have posted clips of Hammoud berating Barham that have drawn millions of views.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 24 Sep. 2025
The coach focused on helping his team settle and regain their confidence rather than berating them for falling behind.
—Jay Feldstein, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berating
Verb
-
Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Shipp is tasked with scolding her father and delivering leaden exposition.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Celebrating a murder is disgraceful, and reprimands and firings in the workplace can be appropriate consequences for it, but criticism of anyone’s political views should always be fair game.—
Michael Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
24 Sep. 2025
-
However, he has now been handed a reprimand by the stewards for failing to slow under a yellow flag that was triggered after his teammate Lando Norris hit the wall at Turn 4.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Since exiting Dries Van Noten a few years ago, Scallon has been working as an independent consultant and mentor in fashion communications strategy, also lecturing occasionally and sharing his views about creative content on podcasts.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The same woman Don had been lecturing about beer.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The next party leader could very well become the country’s next prime minister, but even that’s not guaranteed; voters delivered a clear rebuke in the past two parliamentary elections, delivering seats to opposition parties and stripping the LDP of its majority.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Published 70 years ago, this shocking poem was a powerful rebuke to conformists in 1950s America.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Her coach Cheryl Reeve was later suspended after postgame comments criticizing the officiating in that game.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Trump has also spoken at length about his concerns about the New York City mayoral race, criticizing the potential election of progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani, who drew national attention for beating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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
-
Advertisement China’s Foreign Ministry also issued a vehement reproof.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
In the wake of the assassination of prominent conservative figure Charlie Kirk, the rhetoric wars have taken to new levels of vitriol, with many on the right blaming the left writ large for such political violence, and vice versa.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Both parties are blaming each other, though a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows that more Americans hold Republicans responsible for the impasse.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Berating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berating. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share