upbraid
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to reprove or reproach angrily
-
to find fault with
Synonym Usage
See reprimand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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upbraidsimple
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upbraidssimple
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have upbraidedperfect
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has upbraidedperfect
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are upbraidingprogressive
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am upbraidingprogressive
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is upbraidingprogressive
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have been upbraidingperfect progressive
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has been upbraidingperfect progressive
Past
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upbraidedsimple
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had upbraidedperfect
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was upbraidingprogressive
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were upbraidingprogressive
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had been upbraidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upbraid
before 1000; Middle English; Old English upbrēdan to adduce as a fault. See up-, braid
Explanation
No, upbraid isn’t an elaborate hairdo. When you upbraid people, you scold them, tell them off, and criticize them. (You could, however, upbraid your stylist after a bad haircut.) The word upbraid comes from the Old English word upbregdan, which literally means "bring up quickly." Although this word doesn't have anything to do with hair, upbraid and braid are, in fact, related. The original meaning of braid was "to move quickly from side to side," which is what you do with your fingers when you're braiding someone's hair. When you upbraid someone, you're quickly bringing up different reasons why you're mad at them.
Vocabulary lists containing upbraid
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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.
First guilty conscience does the mirror bring, Then sharp remorse shoots out the angry sting, And anxious thoughts, within themselves at strife, Upbraid the long misspent, luxurious life.
From The Greville Memoirs (Second Part) A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852 (Volume 1 of 3) by Greville, Charles
Then cried Brynhild: Upbraid me no more from thy rock bound dwelling For battles I fought in the days of old.—
From Stories and Ballads of the Far Past Translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) with Introductions and Notes by Kershaw, Nora
Upbraid, up-brād′, v.t. to charge with something wrong or disgraceful: to reproach: to reprove severely.—v.i. to utter reproaches.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Ye faithful men whose crimson blood In her defence is shed, Upbraid her not if thus she weep Above the guilty dead!
From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No. 6, December 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various
Upbraid me not with fancied wickedness; I am not yet a queen, or an apostate.
From Dr. Johnson's Works: Life, Poems, and Tales, Volume 1 The Works of Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., in Nine Volumes by Johnson, Samuel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
