1
as in admonishing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scolding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
strongly rebuked the girl for playing with matches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in reprimanding
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 rebuking
The two moderate senators’ comments stand out amid the GOP’s apparent reservation about rebuking Noem publicly, even though many have called for an investigation into Pretti’s fatal shooting.
—
Chad De Guzman, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi responded directly to Merz’s Tuesday comments, rebuking the condemnation of the Islamic Republic.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2026
Administration officials say the lower court judges rebuking them are the ones who are lawless and a threat to the nation.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Nas sounds hungry again, his dense, circular writing a tangle of flashbacks and evocative images of preachers rebuking demons and Yoda smoking blunts.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
The last inmate caught after an audacious New Orleans jailbreak was sentenced Friday to two life sentences over a 2018 double murder, with the Louisiana judge rebuking him for the disruption caused by his five months on the run.
—CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
In calling out Miller—who became Coastal Carolina’s AD last year—the NCAA was, in effect, rebuking one of its own.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Chase was heard on a hot microphone on the sideline angrily rebuking the unit for its inability to stop the Chicago Bears on the final drive of Sunday's game.
—Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Burton signed an autograph for Hopkins, gently rebuking the boy for not speaking Welsh.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Chad De Guzman, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi responded directly to Merz’s Tuesday comments, rebuking the condemnation of the Islamic Republic.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2026
Administration officials say the lower court judges rebuking them are the ones who are lawless and a threat to the nation.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Nas sounds hungry again, his dense, circular writing a tangle of flashbacks and evocative images of preachers rebuking demons and Yoda smoking blunts.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
The last inmate caught after an audacious New Orleans jailbreak was sentenced Friday to two life sentences over a 2018 double murder, with the Louisiana judge rebuking him for the disruption caused by his five months on the run.
—CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
In calling out Miller—who became Coastal Carolina’s AD last year—the NCAA was, in effect, rebuking one of its own.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Chase was heard on a hot microphone on the sideline angrily rebuking the unit for its inability to stop the Chicago Bears on the final drive of Sunday's game.
—Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Burton signed an autograph for Hopkins, gently rebuking the boy for not speaking Welsh.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuking
Verb
-
Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță quickly intervened, admonishing the lawmaker for his language and warning of consequences.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The outlet reported that the mother of Jamieson’s child spoke out in court, admonishing him for the violent attack on their daughter last January.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sanders, by now a perennial candidate, perfected his craggy, scolding, mitten-waving style.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
But more recently, groups of citizens have grown tired of scolding and have begun reaching for the birch rod.—
Nick Bowlin,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Censures, a means of formally reprimanding a lawmaker without going so far as to expel them, have historically been rare; in the 200 years after Congress first convened, only 22 House members were censured.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
21 Nov. 2025
-
When conversation veers into controversial territory, Gott suggests redirecting rather than reprimanding.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
President Erdoğan mastered this approach—publicly criticizing rate decisions, invoking Islamic prohibitions on interest, signaling displeasure through state media—until governors either complied or departed.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The Justice Department also launched a probe into Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over their public statements criticizing the presence of ICE in the state.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
After teaching at Sacramento City College and lecturing at UC Davis, Fisher moved into public history, working with the California Office of Historic Preservation and the Architectural History Department at Caltrans.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The House voted against censuring Plaskett in a 209-214-3 vote.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
21 Nov. 2025
-
But, honestly, Meyers added, he wasn’t bothered by the attack, which is the latest in a line of Truth Social posts Trump has made censuring the comic.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
17 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Casey Higgins, however, said Price is ultimately responsible for disclosing conflicts of interest and argued blaming his subordinates was not a defense to corruption charges.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
However, your friends are blaming you for asking valid questions of someone who is mishandling funds and directly impacting your quality of life.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Oscar-winning singer-actress took a break during her Tokyo concert to spend a few minutes condemning ICE following the controversial deaths of two protesters at the hands of the immigration enforcement agents.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Local officials in Minneapolis were united in defending Omar and condemning the attacker.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rebuking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuking. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
