as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
his wife upbraided him for his irresponsible handling of the family finances
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Recent Examples of upbraided
One upbraided Tufty for this comment.
—
Eric Adler
june 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
At a hearing two days after the government dropped its charges against Baraka, the judge upbraided Stephen Demanovich, a federal prosecutor who had been assigned the case.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
During cross-examination, he was upbraided for long answers that did not immediately answer the question he had been asked.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Eric Adler
june 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
At a hearing two days after the government dropped its charges against Baraka, the judge upbraided Stephen Demanovich, a federal prosecutor who had been assigned the case.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
During cross-examination, he was upbraided for long answers that did not immediately answer the question he had been asked.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upbraided
Verb
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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
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
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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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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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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
Cite this Entry
“Upbraided.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upbraided. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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