upbraid

verb

up·braid ˌəp-ˈbrād

upbraided; upbraiding; upbraids

Synonyms of upbraid next

transitive verb

: to criticize severely : find fault with

: to reproach severely : scold vehemently

upbraider noun

Did you know?

First things first: do not confuse upbraid with topknot lest you be upbraided for it. Topknot is a noun referring to a hairstyle, while upbraid is a verb (and an ancient one at that) meaning “to criticize or scold severely.” However, it may soothe your pride to know that the braid in upbraid likely comes from the same source as our hirsutal verb braid, meaning “to do up (the hair) by interweaving three or more strands.” That source is the Old English word bregdan, which could be used to mean “to snatch,” “to move suddenly,” or “to plait,” i.e. “braid.” The Old English verb ūpbregdan is probably a combination of this bregdan with ūp, meaning “up.” If the connection between moving suddenly upward at someone and berating them seems obscure, you might consider upbraid to be a more formal counterpart of the expression “to get/be in someone’s face.”

Choose the Right Synonym for upbraid

scold, upbraid, berate, rail, revile, vituperate mean to reproach angrily and abusively.

scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.

angrily scolding the children

upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds.

upbraided her assistants for poor research

berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding.

berated continually by an overbearing boss

rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating.

railed loudly at their insolence

revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred.

an alleged killer reviled in the press

vituperate suggests a violent reviling.

was vituperated for betraying his friends

Examples of upbraid in a Sentence

his wife upbraided him for his irresponsible handling of the family finances

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 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 On occasion, Muslim countries had publicly upbraided India, even if that rhetoric did not lead to any concrete change in policy. —

Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2022 Some sources point to friction with Soon-Shiong’s 30-year-old daughter, Nika Soon-Shiong, who in recent years has apparently appointed herself the paper’s unofficial ombudsman, publicly upbraiding journalists when their politics don’t fall in line with her own progressive thinking. —

Jason McGahan, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for upbraid