berate

verb

bi-ˈrāt How to pronounce berate (audio)
Definition of beratenext
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings there's no need to berate someone for making a mistake during the first day on the job

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb berate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of berate are rail, revile, scold, upbraid, and vituperate. While all these words mean "to reproach angrily and abusively," berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding.

berated continually by an overbearing boss

When is rail a more appropriate choice than berate?

While in some cases nearly identical to berate, rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating.

railed loudly at their insolence

Where would revile be a reasonable alternative to berate?

In some situations, the words revile and berate are roughly equivalent. However, revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred.

an alleged killer reviled in the press

When could scold be used to replace berate?

The synonyms scold and berate are sometimes interchangeable, but scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.

angrily scolding the children

When can upbraid be used instead of berate?

The words upbraid and berate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds.

upbraided her assistants for poor research

When would vituperate be a good substitute for berate?

The meanings of vituperate and berate largely overlap; however, vituperate suggests a violent reviling.

was vituperated for betraying his friends

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of berate Cut to Alex, desperately tending to her dwindling fire while berating God for letting her experience love, only to rip it away from her. —Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025 She’s not done berating the Almighty when she’s interrupted by a sound: a train, chugging through the great white expanse. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Apr. 2025 Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ex-husband has apologized for berating three Muslim women in Georgia days after a video of the incident went viral. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025 Don’t compound your child’s guilt and discomfort by berating them for their scratching. —Andy Collinson, Health, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for berate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berate
  1. scold
  2. reprimand
  3. lecture
  4. criticize
Verb
  • Today's top stories President Trump scolded Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday after Russia launched a deadly strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
  • That, in the end, is the heart of the spectacle of Noem’s militaristic videos and Leavitt’s scolding and lies.
    — Constance Grady, Vox, 25 Apr. 2025
Definition of scold
Verb
  • And when no one was fired or even reprimanded for the FUBAR, the accountability Hegseth promised had seemingly gone AWOL.
    — S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Rourke was formally reprimanded by the show and ultimately booted from the house.
    — Mikelle Street, Them., 23 Apr. 2025
Definition of reprimand
Verb
  • Conor Heffernan, who lectures on the history of sports and fitness at Ulster University, in Ireland, said the current vogue for biohacking, and its protein boosterism, reeks of snake oil.
    — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Her quotidian life was lecturing at a college in Aberdeen, close to where she was born, and the travel and mountaineering a teacher’s schedule enables.
    — Sadie Stein, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of lecture
Verb
  • She was criticized by some for her expensive timepiece and for using prisoners as production props.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Carey criticized laissez-faire economics for degrading the British working class.
    — Made by History, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
Definition of criticize

Browse Nearby Words

bequests
berate
berated
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Cite this Entry

“Berate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berate. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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