berate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of berate
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."
Vocabulary lists containing berate
Instead of "Said": Vexed Verbiage to Express Anger
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Refugee
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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.
Noem and Lewandowski frequently berate senior-level staff within DHS and give polygraph tests to employees they don’t trust.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
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
The two shared a fascination for country music and right-wing politics, believing the best way to oppose conservatives is not to berate or ridicule but to respect and understand.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
