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
The child, now 6 years old, only hears her full name when she's being scolded — though Kendra and Bill are currently trying to undo that pattern.
—
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The victim said he was singled out for laughing, scolded, and told to continue reading before being ordered into the hallway.
—Peter D'oench, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Rogers scolded Musk on Tuesday morning for his recent social media posts about the trial and threatened a gag order before the jury arrived in the courtroom.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
So far, to Trump’s dismay, the plaintiff has won some victories; a federal judge repeatedly scolded government lawyers and halted work.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Leon scolded Justice Department attorneys for arguing that the entire project needed to go forward for national security reasons, before previously distinguishing between the bunker below ground and the ballroom above ground.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Chappell also scolded the government lawyers for submitting evidence at the last minute ahead of Monday’s hearing showing that ICE and FDEM websites have now been updated to include information on the facility’s legal visit protocol.
—Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
When the second player protested the contact, Nicholson scolded the player, according to one parent.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The victim said he was singled out for laughing, scolded, and told to continue reading before being ordered into the hallway.
—Peter D'oench, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Rogers scolded Musk on Tuesday morning for his recent social media posts about the trial and threatened a gag order before the jury arrived in the courtroom.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
So far, to Trump’s dismay, the plaintiff has won some victories; a federal judge repeatedly scolded government lawyers and halted work.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Leon scolded Justice Department attorneys for arguing that the entire project needed to go forward for national security reasons, before previously distinguishing between the bunker below ground and the ballroom above ground.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Chappell also scolded the government lawyers for submitting evidence at the last minute ahead of Monday’s hearing showing that ICE and FDEM websites have now been updated to include information on the facility’s legal visit protocol.
—Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
When the second player protested the contact, Nicholson scolded the player, according to one parent.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scolded
Verb
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Behind closed doors, ProPublica revealed, the majority-Republican state Supreme Court quashed the commission’s recommendations that two Republican judges who’d admitted to committing egregious conduct violations be publicly reprimanded.—
Doug Bock Clark,
ProPublica,
5 June 2026
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The employee has been reprimanded.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Sharon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Honorary Member of the UK Association of Jungian Analysts, and has taught and lectured at many academic institutions, Jungian organisations, retreat centres and cultural festivals around the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
It was also being lectured by people who presented a formulaic perspective on a complicated future that the class of 2026 is already navigating.—
Ann Kirschner,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Advocates have long criticized the conditions at the Aurora facility, and those complaints — alongside concerns that more facilities could open in the state — helped drive HB 1276’s contents.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
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Bass has called for hiring more officers and defending her Inside Safe homelessness program, while Raman has criticized the cost of police raises, called for broader public-safety responses and argued that the city needs a more accountable and cost-effective homelessness system.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
Verb
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In March 2026, a detainee escaped from the facility, which ICE officials blamed on the contractors' inability to track people housed there.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
Its satellites have been blamed for interfering with astronomical observations and posing an ever-increasing risk of space collisions.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
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At one point, Crabtree admonished them to stop talking over each other.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
-
When news of Israel’s secret outposts in Iraq’s desert emerged, Iraqis admonished their leaders as traitors, and the boisterous militiamen affiliated with the government as impostors for allowing their land to be colonized by an enemy.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scolded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scolded. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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