as in condemnation
an often public or formal expression of disapproval
delivered a stinging rebuke to the Congress, calling for an end to backstabbing and arguing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to reprimand
to criticize (someone) so as to correct a fault
the father was forced to rebuke his son for the spendthrift ways he had adopted since arriving at college
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
strongly rebuked the girl for playing with matches
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3
as in to censure
to express public or formal disapproval of
in a rare move, the state's supreme court rebuked the governor for trying to circumvent one of its recent rulings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebuke
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 18 June 2025
Penske's response is the first public rebuke by a major company against the group and the decision could affect its ability to rent trucks in the future.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025
Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2025
In her opinion, Appeals Judge Dana Kenworthy rebuked prosecutors.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebuke
Noun
Public-library supporters qualified for the June 10 special election two library measures that were meant as a rebuke to the council’s fixation on the city’s public-library system.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 18 June 2025
Penske's response is the first public rebuke by a major company against the group and the decision could affect its ability to rent trucks in the future.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025
Verb
Biden did occasionally rebuke Israel for denying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2025
In her opinion, Appeals Judge Dana Kenworthy rebuked prosecutors.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebuke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuke
Noun
-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested two women on Tuesday outside a West L.A. courthouse after a hearing in a local criminal case, marking the first instance in recent weeks of the Trump administration using a tactic that has drawn condemnation from the legal community.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
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But his condemnation of intervention in Iran was at odds with the Trump administration whose role in the conflict has splintered the MAGA coalition, a wing of which opposes American involvement in foreign wars.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
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That brief timeline likely means that Combs — who has been reprimanded by Judge Arun Subramanian for nodding at jurors while his defense attorneys cross-examine government witnesses — will not take the stand.—
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento,
NPR,
24 June 2025
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But Pitt later said in an interview with GQ in 2024 that Alcoholics Anonymous reprimanded him for talking about his experience with the group publicly.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Paul Krugman has referred to deficit hawks as ‘deficit scolds’, because the spend more time warning about the dangers of the deficit than fixing it.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in Cabinet meetings where Musk scolded Gor over personnel disagreements in recent months.—
Ally Goelz,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Two days later, the House approved a resolution to censure Green in a contentious 224-198 vote that progressed into a shouting match between lawmakers.—
Mackenzie Thomas,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2025
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The day before, on Thursday, in Vienna the 35-nation Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency ruled that Iran was not complying with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations and censured the Islamic Republic.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2025
Verb
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But the report, through analysis provided by third-party law enforcement experts, admonished the tactics and actions surrounding the shooting.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
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Lucas admonished employers to review their DEI policies and eliminate those that may violate Title VII’s ban on discrimination against majority and minority employees alike.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Nonetheless, the missing performers were lectured by Richard Grenell, Trump’s new president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—a man with, inevitably, no experience in any of them—that performers must perform for people of all political parties.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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At the Cooper Union in New York in November, Sumner again lectured on Adams’s theory, while a group of Republicans and radical abolitionists sat behind his podium on the stage.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Administration officials have sharply condemned the leak, and signaled that access to classified systems would be restricted.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
26 June 2025
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What to Know As Arab states rushed to condemn U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites and to call for diplomacy, Syria was notably absent.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
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At a time when establishing clarity of first principles has never been more urgent, UF’s law school practically dared anyone to criticize the award for whitewashing the Constitution.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2025
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Kenneth Tomlinson, appointed chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by President George W. Bush, criticized Moyers on an ongoing basis for a liberal bias, and others on the right also consistently attacked him, often citing Moyers as key evidence of an overall liberal bias at PBS.—
Carmel Dagan,
Variety,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebuke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuke. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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