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
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
Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upbraided
Verb
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Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.—
David Wilson,
Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders scolded the media on Sunday after the team’s close loss to the Buffalo Bills at home.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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But this season’s 49ers team was lectured from the start to back off on the Super Bowl talk after last year’s 6-11 debacle and instead work on simply becoming a good team that gets better every week.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
23 Dec. 2025
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Meanwhile, Cheen also lectured on the music industry across Asia and Australia.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So far, none of the agents involved in the shootings has been publicly suspended or reprimanded.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
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The question is, since the Maryland SBE has been reprimanded in federal court three times in six years on related issues, what happens when the state continues to refuse to comply with federal law?—
Nicolee Ambrose,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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No less than a half-dozen GOP senators publicly criticized the Department of Justice for investigating Powell over Hill testimony last year about the Fed headquarters’ renovation.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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The federal government has stepped up operations in Chicago and the Twin Cities, both Democratic strongholds, during the fall and local officials have criticized them for sowing chaos and confusion.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upbraided.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upbraided. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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