reproach
Americanverb (used with object)
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reproaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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reproached,
past participle, past
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reproaching
present participle
noun
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reproaches
plural
-
blame or censure conveyed in disapproval.
a term of reproach.
- Synonyms:
- disapproval, condemnation, remonstrance, criticism, rebuke, reprehension
- Antonyms:
- praise
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an expression of upbraiding, censure, or reproof.
- Synonyms:
- disapproval, condemnation, remonstrance, criticism, rebuke, reprehension
- Antonyms:
- praise
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disgrace, discredit, or blame incurred.
to bring reproach on one's family.
- Antonyms:
- honor
-
a cause or occasion of disgrace or discredit.
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Also called Improperia. Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church. the Reproaches. a series of antiphons sung in church on Good Friday, consisting of words addressed by Christ to His people, reminding them of His mercies and of their ingratitude.
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an object of scorn or contempt.
idioms
verb
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to impute blame to (a person) for an action or fault; rebuke
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archaic to bring disgrace or shame upon
noun
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the act of reproaching
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rebuke or censure; reproof
words of reproach
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disgrace or shame
to bring reproach upon one's family
-
something that causes or merits blame, rebuke, or disgrace
-
perfect; beyond criticism
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reproachablenessnoun
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reproachernoun
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unreproachablenessnoun
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reproachableadjective
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unreproachableadjective
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unreproachedadjective
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unreproachingadjective
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reproachablyadverb
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reproachinglyadverb
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unreproachablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reproachsimple
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reproachessimple
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have reproachedperfect
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has reproachedperfect
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am reproachingprogressive
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are reproachingprogressive
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is reproachingprogressive
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have been reproachingperfect progressive
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has been reproachingperfect progressive
Past
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reproachedsimple
-
had reproachedperfect
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was reproachingprogressive
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were reproachingprogressive
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had been reproachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reproach
First recorded in 1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English reproche, from Old French, derivative of reprochier “to reproach,” from unattested Vulgar Latin repropiāre “to bring back near,” equivalent to Latin re- “back, near; again” + Late Latin -propiāre (derivative of Latin prope “near”; see re-, approach); (verb) late Middle English reprochen, from Old French reprochier
Explanation
Reproach means to mildly criticize. If you show poor manners at your grandmother's dinner table, she will reproach you. The verb reproach means to express disapproval or criticism of; as a noun it means blame or criticism. If you are beyond reproach that means no one could find anything to criticize about you. Synonyms for reproach are the verbs admonish, reprove, rebuke, reprimand. As a noun, reproach can also be shame. If you are caught lying, it is a reproach that might bother you for a while.
Vocabulary lists containing reproach
Metamorphosis
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The Odyssey
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Grade 10, List 6
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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.
See Examples For:
Messrs. Robey and Light understand that police officers aren’t above reproach and that racism in this country still exists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
And when one of us finally came padding down the wooden stairs, sleepy and rumpled and operating on a schedule she would never have personally endorsed, there was no reproach.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
"Personally, it was worse for me after my massive mistake in 2014. But there's nothing that I would reproach."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2024
“In fact, following our efforts, our state-of-the-art compliance program has been repeatedly acknowledged as impressive and above reproach by outside parties.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
Therefore, having summarized all the Duke’s actions, I would not know how to reproach him.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
His notebooks, newly republished in an English translation by Ryan Bloom, are full of similar passages in which Camus reproaches himself to get to work and stay true to his beliefs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
The tirade, an unusually direct and pointed outburst on an island where such reproaches are typically not tolerated, went viral shortly after publication.
From Reuters ● Jun. 13, 2022
The Anti-Defamation League has frequently had to issue reproaches such as, “Glib comparisons to Nazi Germany are offensive and a trivialization of the Holocaust.”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 11, 2021
That’s why we saw so many ghosts: They are both warnings and reproaches.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2020
She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small guilts and small reproaches, constant weariness, and unending despair.
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
When Vernice tries to persuade Annie to aim higher, she is reproached by her friend: “Stop acting like me and you knit with the same needles.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Welsh Labour MP Steve Witherden has apologised after being reproached for drinking milk from a carton in the House of Commons last week.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2024
I reproached him for telling people that the medical and scientific profession was lying to them while he, a proven fraud, was not.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 29, 2023
"Everyone reproached us for having a quantity of money tied up in a system where we could not decide anything," said a source close to Renault.
From Reuters ● Feb. 6, 2023
Kamaswami reproached him for not returning immediately, for wasting time and money.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
But the investigators reserved their sharpest criticism for Dr. Wang, reproaching him for “long-standing and egregious misconduct in data management and record keeping.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2023
Buzsáki's article reminds me of my dad reproaching me and my siblings by saying, “You look with your eyes, not your hands.”
From Scientific American ● Sep. 24, 2022
Instead of reproaching her, he ended up comforting her and patting her on the shoulder, she said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2022
It appeared clear to Elder that the presidential candidate was reproaching the journalist out for waffling on an important story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2021
He offers Celia a packet, and she accepts it without reproaching him.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
