objurgate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of objurgate
1610–20; < Latin objūrgātus, past participle of objūrgāre to rebuke, equivalent to ob- ob- + jūrgāre, jurigāre to rebuke, equivalent to jūr- (stem of jūs ) law + -ig-, combining form of agere to drive, do + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
How dare you! To objurgate is to scold or reprimand. Don’t objurgate yourself, or beat yourself up if you didn’t know it — it’s an old word that people don’t use much anymore. To scold — or to express your disgust and condemnation of — is to objurgate, although this useful word has become quite rare. You're more likely to hear someone use words like castigate or reprimand these days. Objurgate comes directly from the Latin obiurgare, "to chide or rebuke."
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.
See Examples For:
If you step on one after nightfall, it will be useless to objurgate.
From A Breeze from the Woods, 2nd Ed. by Bartlett, William Chauncey
It is customary to objurgate Thackeray as too moral.
From A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 To the Close of the 19th Century by Saintsbury, George
Let his fellows grumble and objurgate, said he; they would cringe to him when he became a dragoman, with his pockets stuffed with piastres.
From A Book of Ghosts by Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
He found various relishes, condiments, and preserves, and what not, all of which he tasted, some of which he enjoyed, and some of which he seemed to objurgate in choice Kickapoo.
From Stories by American Authors, Volume 3 by Various
Gerald, thus objurgated, walked through into a large room, low-ceilinged as are all rooms situated on the entresol floor of a Paris house.
From The End of Her Honeymoon by Lowndes, Marie Belloc
"Drop it, you fool, and lend a hand!" objurgated the Inspector; whereupon Mrs. Trudgian turned about, bridling.
From News from the Duchy by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir
It has at last come home to the mind of that impetuous and much objurgated dog, Shark, that his destiny in life is to be a boar-hound.
From Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2) or Settler and Maori in Northern New Zealand by Hay, William Delisle
“Listen to reason, won’t you?” he objurgated, as, this time, the reason he referred to was the introduction of the ring clear through both nostrils, higher up, and through the central dividing wall of cartilage.
From Michael, Brother of Jerry by London, Jack
I was so filled with anger when I read this note that I openly objurgated “His Wife’s Deceased Sister.”
From A Chosen Few Short Stories by Stockton, Frank Richard
That proved conclusively that the mysterious gunboat flying the Cuban flag was in no humour to be trifled with; and the Spanish captain, objurgating vehemently, rang down for his engines to stop.
From The Cruise of the Thetis A Tale of the Cuban Insurrection by Cuneo, Cyrus
Mentally objurgating Sophy, and with an unpleasant impression in his mind of the unknown neighbor who had been helping Miss Sally in his place, he nevertheless tried to collect himself gallantly.
From Sally Dows by Harte, Bret
The sailor-man, who had been objurgating straight ahead all this time, now weighed anchor and put the boat in towards shore.
From Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 14, July 2, 1870 by Various
They go on, debating, denouncing, objurgating: loud weltering Chaos, which devours itself.
From The French Revolution by Carlyle, Thomas
Then when he felt himself in the right mood, he feverishly improvized the play, laughing over the jokes, weeping over the pathetic moments and objurgating the evil deeds of the more despicable characters.
From How to Write a Play Letters from Augier, Banville, Dennery, Dumas, Gondinet, Labiche, Legouvé, Pailleron, Sardou, Zola by Matthews, Brander
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.
