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
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of rebuking
In recent months, however, Warsh has voiced support for lower interest rates, rebuking the Fed’s concern about inflation risk posed by a flurry of new tariffs issued last year.
—
Max Zahn, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Judges are growing increasingly frustrated, publicly rebuking the administration for missing deadlines and failing to comply with court orders.
—Pratheek Rebala, ProPublica, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Max Zahn, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Judges are growing increasingly frustrated, publicly rebuking the administration for missing deadlines and failing to comply with court orders.
—Pratheek Rebala, ProPublica, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuking
Verb
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Tisch lauded her officers for taking action while admonishing the dangers of violent crime.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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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
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First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
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Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Indeed, Ye didn’t say much of anything during the two-hour concert beyond a number of reprimanding comments directed at his stage crew.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The changing telework fight Last year, unions regularly held large rallies opposing the return-to-office order; an anonymous group of state workers erected billboards along Interstate 80 criticizing the governor.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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While the organization hasn’t publicly said so, some have questioned whether the support is partly in retaliation against Cassidy for criticizing Kennedy’s vaccine policy agenda.—
Ali Swenson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Should the guy who spends his spare time dodging bullets really be lecturing him on death wishes?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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The irony here is that after spending decades lecturing China about the merits of free trade, the US is taking a page out of Beijing’s own state capitalist playbook.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Brown, the lone vote against Martinez’s item, said offering trainings to all councilmembers without mandating it for the mayor and not censuring him absolved Martinez of accountability.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Those choices included censuring and sanctioning me, a military veteran commissioned through CU Boulder, the only Black Regent, and the first Black woman to serve on the board in 43 years.—
Wanda James,
Denver Post,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Both Hilton and Bianco gave the governor an F, blaming the crisis on drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Though the official inquest failed to determine whether Zac jumped to escape danger or to kill himself, The New Yorker’s Keefe winds up blaming the death on the corruption of London in recent decades by oligarchs, con men, and international criminals.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Similar political commentary reached the stage at last year’s Glastonbury Festival, where Kneecap and English punk duo Bob Vylan came under fire for leading the audience in chants supporting Palestinians and condemning Israel.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
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The spike in deaths has rattled the international community, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemning the situation and demanding a thorough inspection of conditions at ICE facilities.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rebuking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuking. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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