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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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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Recent Examples of rebuking
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
Ironically, Bessette-Kennedy’s trend-rebuking dress became the blueprint for brides all over the world.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
An inflation report earlier this week came in lower than economists expected, however, rebuking policymakers' worst fears.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2025
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
Ironically, Bessette-Kennedy’s trend-rebuking dress became the blueprint for brides all over the world.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
An inflation report earlier this week came in lower than economists expected, however, rebuking policymakers' worst fears.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuking
Verb
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Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro sent a note to staff Friday, thanking them for the work and continued focus, while admonishing YouTube and its parent company Google for the dispute.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
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Caitlin Clark gave support to fellow WNBA star Napheesa Collier, who had referenced Clark when admonishing the league and commissioner Cathy Engelbert in fiery remarks earlier this week.—
Jill Martin,
CNN Money,
2 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
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
Verb
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Though George Washington and the press started off amicably, their relationship grew more adversarial once journalists began criticizing the nation’s first president.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Nov. 2025
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Mamdani — who came under fire during the race for his past comments criticizing the New York Police Department — on Wednesday also reiterated his intention to keep the city’s current police commissioner, Jessica Tisch.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 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
Verb
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This could include sanctioning, censuring or suspending a judge, or recommending a judge be removed from office.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Oct. 2025
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In 2023, the House, then run by Republicans, took the extraordinary step of censuring Schiff.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Golfers can stop blaming bad luck for those maddening near-misses.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Trump is just straight-up doling out untruths – and blaming Biden.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) promptly put out a statement later that week condemning Indonesia's treatment of the team.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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By appointing a man who was deeply unpopular with fans by the end of his reign so recently, though, Wolves would have been condemning him and his players to working in a poisonous environment from day one.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebuking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuking. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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