REPROACHED Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

reproached

verb

past tense of reproach

as in scolded

to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings our neighbor loudly reproached us for tromping through his yard

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as in admonished

to criticize (someone) usually gently so as to correct a fault she cleared her throat as a way of reproaching us for having our elbows on the table

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in censured

to express public or formal disapproval of the governor reproached the legislature for failing to pass the budget on time and once again throwing the state into fiscal chaos

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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 reproached The novelist and journalist Armand Lapointe, a family friend, called the portrait a failure and reproached Gonzalès for having agreed to sit for Manet. — Sarah Belmont, ARTnews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Jean’s mama reproached her for not having been more careful and babied Wole, ordering him to remove his T-shirt and retrieving an aloe lotion, telling him to stretch out on the couch and instructing Jean to spread it over the tender areas. — David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025 During her tenure, she was openly critiqued for her lack of political knowledge and reproached for her Christian-fundamentalist views on evolution. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reproached

Verb

For example, just recently, Musk publicly scolded the CEO of Delta in a scorching post on X when the airline did not partner with Starlink to provide Wi-Fi on Delta flights.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
But leaders seeking to encourage tourism scolded residents who warned of the danger on social media.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of scolded

Verb

The restrictions emerged just days after Trump admonished Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the press, calling on the leader to step down and hold wartime elections.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
Despite being a point of contention for Prince William and Prince Harry, who’ve publicly admonished him for revealing personal details about Diana for financial gain, this memoir is only one of several royal tell-alls penned by Burrell.

— Sophie Dunne, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of admonished

Verb

But Raman had previously accepted the endorsement of a local pro-Israeli advocacy group, after which the chapter formally censured her.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
The board censured Valdez again in September 2025, accusing him of talking to the media without authorization and criticizing district leadership over a resident’s arrest during a heated board meeting.

— Sophia Veneziano, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of censured

Verb

Earhart lectured at the school before embarking on her final flight.

— News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Luann patiently attempts to explain that the women don’t like being lectured to about their business affairs, only for Vicki to abruptly answer a phone call mid-conversation.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of lectured

Verb

Mandell was later formally reprimanded for allowing another client’s hearing to be delayed by six years, during which time two witnesses died.

— Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026
The Denver school board censured director Monica Hunter on Thursday night, the third time in five years that the governing body of Colorado’s largest K-12 district has publicly reprimanded a colleague.

— Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of reprimanded

Verb

Omar has denounced the investigations as a politically motivated conspiracy against her, and used it to urge supporters to donate to her reelection campaign.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has denounced violence related to immigration but has also acknowledged failures in the border control system over years that have allowed migrants to travel to and stay in South Africa without documentation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of denounced

Verb

Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, criticized the state's election officials for not cooperating with the department's demands.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Some Democrats have criticized national groups for not spending more in Southern states like Mississippi.

— Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticized

Verb

At least $343,100 is to be spent on surveillance after the president falsely blamed vandals for damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

— Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
Many senior Democrats blamed her, along with the rest of the family and his close aides, for hiding his condition.

— Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of blamed

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reproachable

reproached

reproacher

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Style

“Reproached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reproached. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of reproached

verb

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