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
Soon there was an altercation at the front desk, when a Haitian upbraided the American peons about not getting her free stuff fast enough.
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Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
Schumer is the latest Democrat on Capitol Hill to upbraid Kennedy in recent days over the measles outbreak.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 13 July 2025
The stupidity of his denigration of the COVID vaccines — there’s that word again — brought him a joint upbraiding by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2023.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
That starts with upbraiding Chapman’s would-be assassin, who’s still nursing injuries from being run over by a taxicab — this after handling three other agents quite capably.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for upbraid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upbraid
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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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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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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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
“Upbraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upbraid. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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