as in reprimanded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
he scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen
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Recent Examples of scolded
Trump, then in his first term as president, scolded police in a social media post for not protecting the statue.
—
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
George Clooney is looking back at one of the more surreal moments from his early Hollywood days — getting personally scolded by the legendary Frank Sinatra.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2025
The Royal Dutch Medical Association scolded the psychiatrists, and prosecutors declined to act.
—Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
In 2013, then-President Barack Obama penned a thank-you letter to federal employees for their service and scolded Congress for failing to approve a spending plan, without placing blame.
—NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Rachel Dratch scolded Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz for laughing while rehearsing the original Debbie Downer sketch on Saturday Night Live.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
There, she is repeatedly scolded, first by a testy parking attendant (Mark Stolzenberg), and then by a doctor (Bronstein), who warns Linda of consequences if her daughter doesn’t soon reach her target weight of fifty pounds.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
The government lawyers were frequently scolded by federal judges who dismissed the accusations against Abrego Garcia as baseless and ordered that he be returned to the United States, since he was illegally deported.
—Evan Mealins, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
George Clooney is looking back at one of the more surreal moments from his early Hollywood days — getting personally scolded by the legendary Frank Sinatra.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2025
The Royal Dutch Medical Association scolded the psychiatrists, and prosecutors declined to act.
—Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
In 2013, then-President Barack Obama penned a thank-you letter to federal employees for their service and scolded Congress for failing to approve a spending plan, without placing blame.
—NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Rachel Dratch scolded Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz for laughing while rehearsing the original Debbie Downer sketch on Saturday Night Live.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
There, she is repeatedly scolded, first by a testy parking attendant (Mark Stolzenberg), and then by a doctor (Bronstein), who warns Linda of consequences if her daughter doesn’t soon reach her target weight of fifty pounds.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
The government lawyers were frequently scolded by federal judges who dismissed the accusations against Abrego Garcia as baseless and ordered that he be returned to the United States, since he was illegally deported.
—Evan Mealins, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scolded
Verb
-
More than a few times in that TV role, Long booked Punk in various matches, reprimanded him for on-television actions, or set up stipulations for his matches against opponents.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Parents’ ongoing protest of teacher removal Rupert has received an outpouring of support since she was reprimanded and transferred to Isador Cohen Elementary for pulling up old carpet in her classroom.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Cheen also lectured on the music industry across Asia and Australia.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Augusta was a devout Christian who often lectured the Bible to her sons and blamed alcohol and women for the evils of the world, per the outlet.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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CEOs and experts have criticized universities for failing to keep up with the times; now that AI is here to stay, students had better be prepared to leverage it in their roles.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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In recent months, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has repeatedly criticized Tucker Carlson.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That same night, while the two friends were playing online together, her friend mentioned that her daughter had developed a cough and blamed it on the water balloons the kids had played with at the party.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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Goldenrods are commonly blamed for fall allergies, though the true culprit is ragweed.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cursing, Porter admonished the staffer for appearing in the background of the shot.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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He was admonished in an awkward one-on-one interview by the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano for playing too high up the pitch against the man-marking Italians rather than dropping deep.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scolded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scolded. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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