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
Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.
—
Annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
The heartwarming video, shared on Saturday by @inboxunknown15, shows the pup sitting head down, facing the wall, looking sad and ashamed after being scolded by his owner’s girlfriend.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Family matriarch Donna Adelson was scolded by a judge Thursday for weeping in the courtroom after being convicted of orchestrating a 2014 murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a prominent Florida State University law professor.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The government lawyers were frequently scolded by federal judges who dismissed the accusations against Abrego Garcia as baseless and ordered that he be returned to the United States, since he was illegally deported.
—Evan Mealins, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Collins rescued a missing child at an airport and scolded police for not doing their jobs?
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2025
Five summers ago, we were told to wear masks, compelled to take vaccines, prohibited from looking at certain statues (which were helpfully torn down), and scolded for enjoying any movie or TV show that presented law enforcement officers empathetically or humanely.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Trump has repeatedly defended Bondi and scolded his supporters who have criticized her handling of the case.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 16 July 2025
Annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
The heartwarming video, shared on Saturday by @inboxunknown15, shows the pup sitting head down, facing the wall, looking sad and ashamed after being scolded by his owner’s girlfriend.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Family matriarch Donna Adelson was scolded by a judge Thursday for weeping in the courtroom after being convicted of orchestrating a 2014 murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a prominent Florida State University law professor.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The government lawyers were frequently scolded by federal judges who dismissed the accusations against Abrego Garcia as baseless and ordered that he be returned to the United States, since he was illegally deported.
—Evan Mealins, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Collins rescued a missing child at an airport and scolded police for not doing their jobs?
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2025
Five summers ago, we were told to wear masks, compelled to take vaccines, prohibited from looking at certain statues (which were helpfully torn down), and scolded for enjoying any movie or TV show that presented law enforcement officers empathetically or humanely.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Trump has repeatedly defended Bondi and scolded his supporters who have criticized her handling of the case.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 16 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scolded
Verb
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There is a form of right-of-center liberalism that is content with status hierarchies, that is very unhappy with anything that makes people feel reprimanded.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
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The college was being reprimanded amid allegations of antisemitism on campus and activism led in part by Mahmoud Khalil, a foreign student organizing against Israel’s war in Gaza.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Clarke and his business partner sold photographs and films, wrote and lectured about their adventures, and began treasure hunting.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Vance lectured Zelenskyy and argued the wartime leader hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military assistance the United States has given to his country.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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While some people shared Musk’s enthusiasm, others criticized the decision.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
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Some council members have criticized the proposal, citing a lack of communication and calling the move premature.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some of their struggles can be blamed on a tough slate of defenses.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Shackleton blamed the sinking of the Endurance on the destruction of its rudder; for more than a century, historians accepted this explanation.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was admonished in an awkward one-on-one interview by the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano for playing too high up the pitch against the man-marking Italians rather than dropping deep.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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The judge agreed and admonished the defense on the bench Friday.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scolded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scolded. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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