as in reprimands
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 admonishes
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 scolds
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
strongly rebuked the girl for playing with matches
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in censures
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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Recent Examples of rebukes
ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Onstage that night, a few stars used their time at the microphone to offer mild rebukes of the administration.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
The result was a series of rebukes from the European Union’s Court of Justice and the EU itself, and a growing consensus that Hungary had lost its status as a true constitutional democracy.
—David Pozen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
That tension was apparent in the Senate today, with hours of critical testimony from Democrats earning several rebukes from Republican lawmakers.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 26 Feb. 2026
Grand jurors in Washington declined to sign off on charges in the latest of a series of rebukes of prosecutors by citizens in the nation’s capital, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
—Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Pacheco recorded the police visit to her home in a video that went viral and prompted rebukes from free-speech advocates and candidates for Florida governor.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
While the would-be leaders of France and Germany issued sharp rebukes to Trump, the opposition in central and eastern Europe was more muted.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The exchange marked one of Altman’s sharpest public rebukes of Musk to date.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Jan. 2026
David Folkenflik, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
In the dream, Moffo rebukes Minnelli for being condescending.
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
Gorsuch rebukes Thomas’s version of constitutional history and argues that his position is also inconsistent with the text of the Constitution, early congressional practice, and Supreme Court precedent.
—Jeffrey Rosen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
That last comment drew rebukes from no less than former Heat players Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem during their work on Amazon Prime’s NBA studio coverage.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2026
The post is the latest in a series of public rebukes Young has aimed at Trump over the years.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 10 Jan. 2026
Cancellations soon began to mount — as did Kennedy Center‘s rebukes against the artists who chose not to appear.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
The clash carries potential legal consequences, ongoing FBI and Pentagon investigations, bipartisan rebukes and raises critical questions about civilian control of the military, free speech and the limits of presidential authority.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
An homage to millions of anonymous victims, the work implicitly rebukes the nearby figurative sculptures of slaveholders.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Nicola Gratteri, Naples’ chief prosecutor and a long time anti-Mafia magistrate, offered one of the most pointed rebukes.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Onstage that night, a few stars used their time at the microphone to offer mild rebukes of the administration.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
The result was a series of rebukes from the European Union’s Court of Justice and the EU itself, and a growing consensus that Hungary had lost its status as a true constitutional democracy.
—David Pozen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
That tension was apparent in the Senate today, with hours of critical testimony from Democrats earning several rebukes from Republican lawmakers.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 26 Feb. 2026
Grand jurors in Washington declined to sign off on charges in the latest of a series of rebukes of prosecutors by citizens in the nation’s capital, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
—Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Pacheco recorded the police visit to her home in a video that went viral and prompted rebukes from free-speech advocates and candidates for Florida governor.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
While the would-be leaders of France and Germany issued sharp rebukes to Trump, the opposition in central and eastern Europe was more muted.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The exchange marked one of Altman’s sharpest public rebukes of Musk to date.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
Lake's efforts to put that call into action have been challenged in prior lawsuits filed by VOA journalists and drawn rebukes from a federal judge overseeing them.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
In the dream, Moffo rebukes Minnelli for being condescending.
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
Gorsuch rebukes Thomas’s version of constitutional history and argues that his position is also inconsistent with the text of the Constitution, early congressional practice, and Supreme Court precedent.
—Jeffrey Rosen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
That last comment drew rebukes from no less than former Heat players Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem during their work on Amazon Prime’s NBA studio coverage.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2026
The post is the latest in a series of public rebukes Young has aimed at Trump over the years.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 10 Jan. 2026
Cancellations soon began to mount — as did Kennedy Center‘s rebukes against the artists who chose not to appear.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
The clash carries potential legal consequences, ongoing FBI and Pentagon investigations, bipartisan rebukes and raises critical questions about civilian control of the military, free speech and the limits of presidential authority.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
An homage to millions of anonymous victims, the work implicitly rebukes the nearby figurative sculptures of slaveholders.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebukes
Noun
-
If such a case occurs, penalties from the Florida Board of Nursing could range from reprimands, fines or probation to suspension or revocation of the license, according to a state statute.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
-
As if that conduct doesn’t raise enough questions about her fitness, Steele has faced reprimands for allowing staff to stray from official Board of Review business while on county time.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Consequently, the conference is imposing a $5,000 fine and admonishes all institutions to use the ‘out’ designation only if there are no circumstances under which a student-athlete could participate in a game.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The report admonishes the Alameda County foster care system for ongoing structural deficiencies, including understaffing and poor record-keeping, while also noting that the agency’s plan to address service gaps may still not be enough to bring it up to standard.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On our hike, Jessie Krebs scolds her boots for sliding on a slick, house-size boulder.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2026
-
While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the days and weeks following the Hamas massacre of innocent Israelis on October 7, 2023, students and colleagues alike in his academic community posted fiery condemnations of and expressions of moral disgust toward … Israel.—
Jesse Brown,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Sunni imams issued fatwas, legal condemnations by Islamic religious leaders, against us infidels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Schiavo raised a similar concern, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board regularly criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators for not implementing obvious solutions, even after accidents occur.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Gigerenzer criticizes them as ethically problematic and argues that public policy should emphasize education over subtle choice manipulation.—
Alejandro Hortal-Sánchez,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Murphy Austin condemns antisemitism, violence, and acts of hatred in any form.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The hypocrite pretends to be good because the hypocrite believes that society admires good and condemns wrong.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Aside from the financial cost to the city, Blain’s behavior prompted several council actions, including two censures.—
Susan Gill Vardon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Dec. 2025
-
Some rank-and-file lawmakers also agree that censures are losing their punch.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebukes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebukes. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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