The fear of reproof prevented them from complaining.
even in church we were not free from Mother's familiar reproof of our ingrained tendency to fidget in our seats
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In the appeal to you, gentle readers, to email us with your thoughts, questions, reproofs, corrections, jokes, recipes, etc.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
9 May 2025 Advertisement China’s Foreign Ministry also issued a vehement reproof.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Dec. 2024 So your best response is either to ignore the remark, which is a reproof in itself, or to make a joke of it.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
9 July 2024 Such a man is a proper subject, not for reproof, but for medical treatment.—
Fitz Hugh Ludlow,
Harper’s Magazine ,
17 Aug. 2022 Preceded by a setting of the Kaddish and opening with an evergreen reproof of antisemitism, the symphony is the kind of music that welcomes reflection.—New York Times,
1 Aug. 2022 In response to the reproof, Clicks has issued an apology, and an explanation that at least two other companies were involved in approving the advert.—
Norma Young,
Quartz Africa,
9 Sep. 2020
Word History
Etymology
Middle English repref, reprofe, from Anglo-French reproefe, from reprover