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
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Recent Examples of berate
Cast members performed on The Tonight Show and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, in a sketch in which host Bad Bunny berates his friends for failing to grasp the movie’s brilliance.
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Eliza Berman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Anyone standing near you has the right not to get screamed at, berated, or kicked in the nuts.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 6 Dec. 2025
A day after an irritable TV interview went viral, an old video surfaced of the former Orange County congresswoman cursing and berating one of her aides.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Chicago mother Corshawnda Hatter and her children were recently followed, berated and physically beaten by a group of youngsters during what should have been an innocent walk home from school.
—Essence, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for berate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berate
Verb
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Nawat Itsaragrisil, president of Miss Grand International (MGI), was seen scolding Fatima Bosch, a 25-year-old contestant from Mexico, ahead of the 74th Miss Universe competition being held in Bangkok later this month.—
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No doubt many grandmothers will want to scold us, but the truth is, soap isn't going to destroy your cast iron pans.—
Verb
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Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.—
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After teaching at Sacramento City College and lecturing at UC Davis, Fisher moved into public history, working with the California Office of Historic Preservation and the Architectural History Department at Caltrans.—
Verb
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Performers have been reprimanded for making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes during shows in the late 1990s and 2000s, according to Westword, and Stock Show officials were quick to apologize.—
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His popularity in other corners was evident in an October appearance on The View, in which cohost Whoopi Goldberg had to reprimand the audience for shouting out too many supportive exclamations.—
Verb
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House Democrats swiftly criticized the Senate.—
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Bibelheimer also had good reason to criticize the film, as Ferrell’s portrayal of her was wildly at odds with the truth.—
Cite this Entry
“Berate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berate. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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