as in scolding
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in reprimand
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Recent Examples of berating
Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2025
Cut to Alex, desperately tending to her dwindling fire while berating God for letting her experience love, only to rip it away from her.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ex-husband has apologized for berating three Muslim women in Georgia days after a video of the incident went viral.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025
After berating Beijing for its restrictions, Washington is putting up the same barriers.
—Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2025
Don’t compound your child’s guilt and discomfort by berating them for their scratching.
—Andy Collinson, Health, 19 Mar. 2025
But after a week of berating the national retailers, Berry Chantilly lovers forced Whole Foods to listen to their requests.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
The actor makes the most of the material served to him on a silver platter, like berating Bart for his history of domestic violence or hallucinating his way through an infected gunshot wound.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Maron could be a reluctant subject, at times berating Feinartz off camera for relentlessly filming him over multiple years.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
After the report, an aide to Marte, Steven Wong, sent the journalist voice messages berating her with misogynistic slurs.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2025
Cut to Alex, desperately tending to her dwindling fire while berating God for letting her experience love, only to rip it away from her.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ex-husband has apologized for berating three Muslim women in Georgia days after a video of the incident went viral.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025
After berating Beijing for its restrictions, Washington is putting up the same barriers.
—Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2025
Don’t compound your child’s guilt and discomfort by berating them for their scratching.
—Andy Collinson, Health, 19 Mar. 2025
But after a week of berating the national retailers, Berry Chantilly lovers forced Whole Foods to listen to their requests.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
The actor makes the most of the material served to him on a silver platter, like berating Bart for his history of domestic violence or hallucinating his way through an infected gunshot wound.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Maron could be a reluctant subject, at times berating Feinartz off camera for relentlessly filming him over multiple years.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berating
Noun
-
Amster has to return $10,000 to Diaz’s mother, attend ethics school and will receive a public reprimand.—
David J. Neal
July 3,
Miami Herald,
3 July 2025
-
Humphrey did not suspend Willis, but issued a letter of reprimand that can be factored into future disciplinary decisions.—
Josh Wood,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
Rebuke for state prosecutors The state’s decision late Monday afternoon is a stinging rebuke for prosecutors in a high profile case that also includes the wealthy Alexander brothers and which has garnered international attention.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 July 2025
-
The vote last November was historic, offering a fierce rebuke of Republican state lawmakers who had spent decades restricting access.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
This isn’t a repeat of Hurricane Irma’s lashing at the concrete marker that led to a month-long closing in September and October 2017 so that the original artists Danny Acosta and Henry Del Valle could do emergency repairs and repaint the battered buoy.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
-
However, May argued that Trump’s recent public lashings out against Putin appear to be more lasting than those against Zelensky, signaling a wider shift in policy.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 May 2025
Verb
-
While most have become accustomed and perhaps even oblivious to McGregor’s online rants, openly criticizing a business partner is a little dicey.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Shiney-Ajay said Harris should have spent additional time criticizing lawmakers—like Manchin and Congressional Republicans—who limited the administration's climate goals, using it as a chance to emphasize her intent to seek greater climate victories in the future.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
In the appeal to you, gentle readers, to email us with your thoughts, questions, reproofs, corrections, jokes, recipes, etc.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
9 May 2025
-
Advertisement China’s Foreign Ministry also issued a vehement reproof.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Already, the Combs verdict is fueling criticism that prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is known for being particularly aggressive, overcharged the case.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
-
The unusually blunt and sobering assessment drew sharp criticism, including from her colleagues.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
After nights of clashes, then-President Donald Trump, known for issuing directives and invectives through social media, fired off a series of posts shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
-
Douglas McCarthy, the vocalist who hectored anarchic invective with EBM innovators Nitzer Ebb and who joined Depeche Mode keyboardist Alan Wilder’s Recoil side project, died Wednesday at the age of 58.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
But then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin repudiated the deal, saying a decision on the death penalty in an attack as grave as Sept. 11 should only be made by the defense secretary.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
-
From 21 March on, the gang launched attacks against several areas in the communes of Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite and Marchand Dessalines.—
Jacqueline Charles
July 11,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Berating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berating. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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