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
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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
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
Verb
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Soon though, Shawna noticed some of Zaayer's strange behaviors — including scolding her grandson, getting upset over cleaning habits and allegedly showing them racist videos.
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Justice Barrett actually sounded kind of sharp, almost scolding, in the opinion in her criticism of the assertions made by the plaintiffs and some of the justices in the minority.
Verb
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Her Volumnia bellows at her meek daughter-in-law, Virgilia (Justine Faith) as though reprimanding an incompetent private.
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Wimbledon fashion is also something that can get patrons in trouble, with Andy Samberg saying he was reprimanded for wearing black jeans in the Royal Box.
Verb
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Some commentators in the United States have taken the opportunity to lecture Europeans, and perhaps even indulge in a little schadenfreude.
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The work, then, is not to lecture communities into trusting us.
Verb
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For all her talk of women as allies, Siebel Newsom portrays conservative women who criticize other women as dupes manipulated by MAGA leaders.
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Last month, his ally Uthmeier declined to criticize the state party’s decision to limit the debate.
Cite this Entry
“Upbraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upbraid. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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