as in reprimanded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
he scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen
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Recent Examples of scolded
He is being groomed, playing, testing boundaries and even being scolded which are all part of normal social learning for young macaques.
—
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026
As the Sentinel’s Cristobal Reyes has reported, federal judges based in Orlando have scolded prosecutors multiple times in recent weeks for detaining people who should have been set free, with one judge memorably comparing the current actions of ICE to those of a third-world country.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
No fan should be told how to follow their team, nor be scolded for feeling conflicted, especially as Spurs supporters have been put in this unenviable bind by the failings of their club — rather than the other way around.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
During the trip, the priest who was showing them around was scolded.
—Mckinley Franklin, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
The president himself scolded a New York Times reporter for asking about the cost and whether Amazon was seeking to get in his good graces.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
Be brave, and resist falling back on English Don’t fear being laughed at or scolded for speaking imperfectly, said Massimo Macchiavello, the marketing manager for Posta, a destination management company in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
And Curry has been scolded by his mom plenty of times, too.
—Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.
—David Wilson, Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026
As the Sentinel’s Cristobal Reyes has reported, federal judges based in Orlando have scolded prosecutors multiple times in recent weeks for detaining people who should have been set free, with one judge memorably comparing the current actions of ICE to those of a third-world country.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
No fan should be told how to follow their team, nor be scolded for feeling conflicted, especially as Spurs supporters have been put in this unenviable bind by the failings of their club — rather than the other way around.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
During the trip, the priest who was showing them around was scolded.
—Mckinley Franklin, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
The president himself scolded a New York Times reporter for asking about the cost and whether Amazon was seeking to get in his good graces.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
Be brave, and resist falling back on English Don’t fear being laughed at or scolded for speaking imperfectly, said Massimo Macchiavello, the marketing manager for Posta, a destination management company in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
And Curry has been scolded by his mom plenty of times, too.
—Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.
—David Wilson, Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scolded
Verb
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On WhatsApp, her mother reprimanded her for being too trusting of others—even of relatives.—
Jordan Salama,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Last year, filmmakers who spoke out for Palestinian life and liberty from the Berlinale stage reported being aggressively reprimanded by senior festival programmers.—
William Earl,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Vance’s speech got a cool reception from European leaders who said they felt lectured.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
18 Feb. 2026
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Some of us have guest lectured in his law school class on the Arkansas Constitution, and his passion for our state's rich heritage is evident.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The treatment of many Minnesota residents by ICE and CBP agents, which resulted in, among other things, the very public killing of Good and Alex Pretti, both US citizens – has been roundly criticized.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
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It might also be criticized for saying nothing about whether any or all of that money should be rebated to the countries that paid the money and the companies that experienced price increases for their products as a result of higher tariffs.—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The post, which was later deleted, was blamed on a staffer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
About 100 deaths were blamed on that devastating storm across the entire East Coast.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Wednesday, reports circulated that Cioni, Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, had been identified as a possible suspect, but Sheriff Nanos quickly shot that down in a note that admonished members of the media who reported him as a person of interest without confirmation.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
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In a series of emails to the Post last week shared with Semafor, Newsom Chief Deputy Director of Communications Tara Gallegos admonished the paper over various details of its articles.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scolded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scolded. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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