Showing results for "berating"

• present participle of berate.

berating

American  

[bih-ray-ting] / bɪˈreɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or habit of scolding, rebuking, or harshly criticizing another.

   The player earned a red card for his constant berating of the referee.

---

adjective

1. scolding, rebuking, or harshly criticizing.

   When you talk to him about these behavioral issues, take care not to use a berating tone.

Etymology

Origin of berating

First recorded in 1830–40; berat(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun; berat(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

berating

"I started to feel guilty and started berating myself internally for it all."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Porter slightly rebounded after a dip in polling in the fall after videos emerged of her berating an aide and a reporter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

Then as now, Martin chose a polite but firm approach to Trump, who spent much of the question-and-answer session berating US allies for rebuffing his calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026

Beijing’s retaliation has included berating Tokyo at the United Nations, canceling flights to Japan and threatening a ban on imports of Japanese seafood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

He was his own sarcophagus, a bold and infallible diplomat who was always berating himself disgustedly for all the chances he had missed and kicking himself regretfully for all the errors he had made.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

• admonition
• censure
• condemnation
• disapproval
• punishment
• rebuff
• reproach
• snub