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reproach
[ ri-prohch ]
/ rÉŖĖproŹtŹ /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object)
noun
OTHER WORDS FOR reproach
3 shame.
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Idioms about reproach
beyond / above reproach, not subject to blame or discredit; faultless: She has always been honest and beyond reproach in her business dealings.
Origin of reproach
First recorded in 1375ā1425; (noun) late Middle English reproche, from Old French, derivative of reprochier āto reproach,ā from unattested Vulgar Latin repropiÄre āto bring back near,ā equivalent to Latin re- āback, near; againā + Late Latin -propiÄre (derivative of Latin prope ānearā; see re-, approach); (verb) late Middle English reprochen, from Old French reprochier
synonym study for reproach
1. Reproach, rebuke, scold, reprove imply calling one to account for something done or said. Reproach is censure (often about personal matters, obligations, and the like) given with an attitude of faultfinding and some intention of shaming: to reproach one for neglect. Rebuke suggests sharp or stern reproof given usually formally or officially and approaching reprimand in severity: He rebuked him strongly for laxness in his accounts. Scold suggests that censure is given at some length, harshly, and more or less abusively; it implies irritation, which may be with or without justification: to scold a boy for jaywalking. A word of related meaning, but suggesting a milder or more kindly censure, often intended to correct the fault in question, is reprove : to reprove one for inattention.
historical usage of reproach
In English the noun reproach is a derivative of the verb. The Middle English verb reprochen, āto rebuke, reprove, censure,ā comes from Middle French and Old French reprochier āto recall something unpleasant to someone, blame.ā Reprochier comes from unattested Vulgar Latin repropiÄre āto bring close to, get in someoneās face, upbraid, reproach.ā RepropiÄre is modeled on Late Latin appropiÄre āto approachā (with no sense of blame or rebuke), itself modeled on the Late Latin verb propiÄre āto draw near to, approach.ā PropiÄre is formed from the adverb and preposition prope ānear, nearby, close.ā
The phrase above reproach ānot able to be blamed, faultlessā first appeared in 1674; its variant beyond reproach is first recorded in 1702.
The phrase above reproach ānot able to be blamed, faultlessā first appeared in 1674; its variant beyond reproach is first recorded in 1702.
OTHER WORDS FROM reproach
Words nearby reproach
reprisal, reprise, repristinate, reprivatize, repro, reproach, reproachful, reproachfully, reproachless, reprobance, reprobate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use reproach in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for reproach
reproach
/ (rÉŖĖprÉŹtŹ) /
verb (tr)
to impute blame to (a person) for an action or fault; rebuke
archaic to bring disgrace or shame upon
noun
Derived forms of reproach
reproachable, adjectivereproachableness, nounreproachably, adverbreproacher, nounWord Origin for reproach
C15: from Old French reprochier, from Latin re- + prope near
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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