upbraid

verb

ˌəp-ˈbrād How to pronounce upbraid (audio)
Definition of upbraidnext
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings his wife upbraided him for his irresponsible handling of the family finances

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb upbraid differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of upbraid are berate, rail, revile, scold, and vituperate. While all these words mean "to reproach angrily and abusively," upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds.

upbraided her assistants for poor research

When might berate be a better fit than upbraid?

Although the words berate and upbraid have much in common, berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding.

berated continually by an overbearing boss

When would rail be a good substitute for upbraid?

The words rail and upbraid can be used in similar contexts, but rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating.

railed loudly at their insolence

Where would revile be a reasonable alternative to upbraid?

The synonyms revile and upbraid are sometimes interchangeable, but revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred.

an alleged killer reviled in the press

When is it sensible to use scold instead of upbraid?

While in some cases nearly identical to upbraid, scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.

angrily scolding the children

When can vituperate be used instead of upbraid?

The words vituperate and upbraid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 upbraid The Galaxy keeper turned and appeared to upbraid his defenders before clapping and trying to rally his team. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 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 In a blistering memo circulated around the agency before he was laid off in late summer, Frantz upbraided political leaders. — Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 17 Dec. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for upbraid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upbraid
  1. scold
  2. reprimand
  3. lecture
  4. criticize
Verb
  • Continue reading … VANITY TOUR — Critics scold Anthony Fauci diary entries that reveal fixation on fame, press coverage.
    — , FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
  • Do not punish your dog by scolding or yelling at them, as this may make your dog's behavior worse out of fear or stress.
    — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 28 July 2026
Definition of scold
Verb
  • The league reprimanded the Aces for impermissible player benefits in 2023, docking Las Vegas a 2025 first-round draft pick, so stripping more draft capital as a punishment would not have been unprecedented.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • Court documents also show the Sheriff’s Office did not conduct an internal investigation, nor were any of the deputies reprimanded.
    — Trevor Morgan, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
Definition of reprimand
Verb
  • Khimasia is an independent curator who currently lectures at Rutgers University.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 27 July 2026
  • Fauci stepped down from his NIAID post at the end of 2022 and segued to a lecturing job at Georgetown.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 July 2026
Definition of lecture
Verb
  • Republican lawmakers roundly criticized those programs, but also accepted the funding, Smith said.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
  • Officiating has been a major contention point, with players like Napheesa Collier previously criticizing the league.
    — Roberta F. Rodrigues, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of criticize

Browse Nearby Words

upbeat
upbraid
upbraided
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Upbraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upbraid. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on upbraid

Nglish: Translation of upbraid for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All