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Synonyms

chide

American  
[chahyd] / tʃaɪd /

verb (used with object)

chided, chid, chided, chid, chidden, chiding

  1. to express disapproval of; scold; reproach.

    The principal chided the children for their thoughtless pranks.
    Synonyms:
    blame, upbraid, censure, rebuke, reprove
    Antonyms:
    praise

  2. to harass, nag, impel, or the like by chiding.

    She chided him into apologizing.

verb (used without object)

chided, chid, chided, chid, chidden, chiding

  1. to scold or reproach; find fault.

    Synonyms:
    blame, upbraid, censure, rebuke, reprove
    Antonyms:
    praise
chide British  
/ tʃaɪd /

verb

  1. to rebuke or scold

  2. (tr) to goad into action

"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

Other Word Forms

  • chider noun
  • chidingly adverb
  • outchide verb (used with object)
  • unchid adjective
  • unchidden adjective
  • unchided adjective
  • unchiding adjective
  • unchidingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of chide

before 1000; Middle English chiden, Old English cīdan

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.

Human beings as a whole do not employ the same ethics a responsible newspaper does — though today many of us chide the press solely when the news is unfavorable to our own personal prejudices.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

He also said Ms. Haley was wrong to chide him for the account.

From Washington Times • Nov. 8, 2023

“I’m sure once Christmastime rolls around, we’ll kind of chide him a little bit,” Karras joked.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 9, 2023

But it’s clear that we’re in a new frontier of public behavior… and that it might be more difficult—and more dangerous—to chide our neighbors.

From Slate • Aug. 22, 2023

It’s just a stupid shirt, I chide myself.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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.