Synonyms

berate

American

[bih-reyt] / bɪˈreɪt /

verb (used with object)

berated, berating

to scold; rebuke.

He berated them in public.

Synonyms:

vilify, objurgate, vituperate, abuse

berate British

/ bɪˈreɪt /

verb

(tr) to scold harshly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of berate

First recorded in 1540–50; be- + rate ²

Explanation

A strong verb for harshly cutting someone down with words is berate. "He didn't just correct the cashier who gave him the wrong change — he started to berate her, calling her names in front of the whole store." When you berate someone, you do more than just raise your voice at them; berate implies putting someone down by insulting their character. This word comes from a 16th-century English and French root meaning "to scold or blame." Often the anger behind the scolding seems over-the-top, as in "When the young man behind the counter dropped the scoop of vanilla, the manager berated him excessively by declaring him worthless and weak."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the pop singer said she did not send a security guard to berate them.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

It was a reach—“I’m never mad,” Manley said—so he asked Chalamet to berate him off-camera to get worked up for a red-faced confrontation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

If you berate yourself for what you deem parenting mistakes, don’t let it eat away at you.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

With no Russell Martin to berate now, it was the players who felt the full force of a furious fanbase by the full-time whistle.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

I said this in a most respectful manner, but Tefu jumped in and started to berate Sobukwe.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023