as in reprimands
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 scolds
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Woke scolds and anti-woke dolts alike objected to the image of Carpenter kneeling in front of a man who appears to be using her hair as a leash.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
Governance scolds are appalled by the number, as is the pope.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Woke scolds and anti-woke dolts alike objected to the image of Carpenter kneeling in front of a man who appears to be using her hair as a leash.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scolds
Verb
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The same government that lectures Beijing about state capitalism and nonmarket behaviors now practices it at home.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
23 Oct. 2025
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But Andres Bernal, a political analyst who lectures at the City University of New York, thinks many young voters look at Cuomo's history of controversy and are reminded of the Democratic Party establishment that has left them disillusioned.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Continue reading … PODIUM TAKEOVER – Bernie Sanders crashes Schumer news conference, criticizes Democratic Party leadership.—
,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Dave Smith is a comedian and libertarian who often criticizes both Democrats and Republicans through a libertarian lens.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Maybe that’s why, compared with some other kinds of nitpickers, pop critics can seem especially extraneous.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that makes Zepbound, blames the lack of coverage on the stigma of obesity.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
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The grieving mother blames a lack of medical care for her child’s death – although the medical team which treated her told CNN that there was no link between her death and the funding cuts.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The exchange with the radio host went too far even for some of Mamdani’s Democratic critics, who condemned the conversation as Islamophobic.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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John Ruskin, the greatest of architectural critics, observed that a nation writes its history in many books, but that the book of its buildings is the most enduring.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Consequently, the conference is imposing a $5,000 fine and admonishes all institutions to use the ‘out’ designation only if there are no circumstances under which a student-athlete could participate in a game.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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The report admonishes the Alameda County foster care system for ongoing structural deficiencies, including understaffing and poor record-keeping, while also noting that the agency’s plan to address service gaps may still not be enough to bring it up to standard.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Late With Scotty Bristol, who berates his writers, helmed by a producer played by Amy Sedaris.—
Scarlett Harris,
Time,
13 Oct. 2025
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In another clip, his mother berates Pormanove over the phone for letting the co-streamers shave off parts of his hair.—
Philippe Cordier,
CNN Money,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As Dexter questions why Batista’s death hurts so much, Brian chastises his brother for listening to Harry too much.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
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Red Jacob chastises Colum for not healing quickly enough.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scolds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scolds. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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