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
Karl Vick, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
But just yelling and berating people, done that for eight years.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Auburn athletics director John Cohen was seen berating officials as the team went into the locker room for halftime.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
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
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
In August, Ben-Gvir released a video of himself berating a visibly frail Barghouti in his cell.
—Karl Vick, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
But just yelling and berating people, done that for eight years.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Auburn athletics director John Cohen was seen berating officials as the team went into the locker room for halftime.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berating
Noun
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Prior board records provided to the Herald by Rollins’ attorney last month shed light on the misconduct violation that led to the public reprimand.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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Just last season, he was suspended for three games after a hit to the head of Jacksonville Jaguars passer Trevor Lawrence, prompting a public reprimand from the NFL policy and rules administration.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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Like an impatient parent scolding their toddler, Frankenstein grows frustrated with his monster’s limited capacity for speech.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Even the climax of the film, when Bella confronts Edward about his vampire identity in the misty Washington forest, loses its dramatic edge thanks to Edward's emphatic rebuke of his predatory nature.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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His work dismantling an illicit money-changing operation in Miami even earned him a public rebuke in 2010 from Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s predecessor.—
Joshua Goodman,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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The same woman Don had been lecturing about beer.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 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
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There were, indeed, in the Middle Ages, some very fine paintings covered in lashings of gold leaf.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When conversation veers into controversial territory, Gott suggests redirecting rather than reprimanding.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
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To this end, Cucinelli urged the independent players to tap into the online commerce without betraying their identity of exclusivity and desirability, subtly reprimanding those who embraced the gray market outright.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 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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Kerr, who played for Popovich in San Antonio at the end of his career and has a strong relationship with his former coach, was asked about load management in the context of a prominent former teammate criticizing the concept.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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The former school board member turned charter school executive has built her platform by criticizing the public school system, promoting school choice and private alternatives – all while profiting from establishing and providing services to charter schools throughout the state and nation.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Berating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berating. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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