berate
[bih-reyt]
- to scold; rebuke: He berated them in public.
Origin of berate
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.comabuse, vilify, vituperate, objurgate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for berate
Contemporary Examples
Women are berated—and berate themselves—for dressing too sexily.
The old-school way of hating rubes asks us to berate them into giving up their identity out of shame and disgust.
A purse can impress and intimidate, bewilder, berate, or amuse.
I'm not saying you should be an aggressive jerk, and berate your friends for thinking negative thoughts.
Rather than berate Mitt for the sin of being rich, he said he wanted a flatter tax so everyone could pay the “Romney rate.”
Historical Examples
She had expected him to berate her for taking him for a spy and he had asked her to marry him.
Rebecca's PromiseFrances R. Sterrett
Dyckman was a spent and bankrupt object, and anybody could berate him.
We Can't Have EverythingRupert Hughes
Even now, they had come forth upon the ramparts to berate her with her sin.
SuperwomenAlbert Payson Terhune
And then, without waiting for the answer, he turned to the shepherd and began to berate him.
The Five ArrowsAllan Chase
One way to flatter some women is to berate those whom they despise or fear.
Dorothy Vernon of Haddon HallCharles Major
berate
- (tr) to scold harshly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for berate
v.
1540s, from be- "thoroughly" + Middle English rate "to scold" (late 14c.), from Old French reter "accuse, blame," from Latin reputare (see reputation). "Obsolete except in U.S." [OED 1st ed.], but it seems to have revived in Britain 20c. Related: Berated; berating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper