berate

verb

be·​rate bi-ˈrāt How to pronounce berate (audio)
bē-
berated; berating; berates

transitive verb

: to scold or condemn vehemently and at length
being berated by her parents when she came home late

Did you know?

Berate and Rate

People have berated things—and each other—for time immemorial, but the word berate has only been known to English users since the mid-1500s. Before that, if you wanted to angrily rebuke, say, an outlaw for impersonating a fortune teller in order to steal the golden hubcaps off your royal carriage, you would rate them. Berate simply added the prefix be- to the existing verb rate, which is distinct from the rate that means “to value or esteem.” While the more familiar rate comes ultimately from Latin, the origins of the less common “scolding” rate are obscure.

Choose the Right Synonym for berate

scold, upbraid, berate, rail, revile, vituperate mean to reproach angrily and abusively.

scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.

angrily scolding the children

upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds.

upbraided her assistants for poor research

berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding.

berated continually by an overbearing boss

rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating.

railed loudly at their insolence

revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred.

an alleged killer reviled in the press

vituperate suggests a violent reviling.

was vituperated for betraying his friends

Examples of berate in a Sentence

there's no need to berate someone for making a mistake during the first day on the job
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Chaos even opens with a scene of Bugliosi, who died in 2015, berating O'Neill for presenting him with his findings. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025 President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance responded by berating the Ukrainian leader on camera. Simon Shuster/kyiv, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025 And Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, sat on an Oval Office couch, mostly silent, as Trump and Vance berated the Ukrainian leader. NPR, 7 Mar. 2025 After the Oval Office spat, Trump continued to berate Zelenskyy on social media, with the president and some of his team suggesting that Ukraine’s leader could or should be ousted from office. Rebecca Shabad, NBC News, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for berate

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of berate was in 1548

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Cite this Entry

“Berate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berate. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

berate

verb
be·​rate bi-ˈrāt How to pronounce berate (audio)
: to scold forcefully

More from Merriam-Webster on berate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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