reproach
[ri-prohch]
- to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame; censure.
- to upbraid.
- to be a cause of blame or discredit to.
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- blame or censure conveyed in disapproval: a term of reproach.
- an expression of upbraiding, censure, or reproof.
- disgrace, discredit, or blame incurred: to bring reproach on one's family.
- a cause or occasion of disgrace or discredit.
- the Reproaches. Also called Improperia. Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church. 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.
- an object of scorn or contempt.
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Origin of reproach
1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English reproche < Old French, derivative of reprochier to reproach < Vulgar Latin *repropiāre to bring back near, equivalent to Latin re- re- + Late Latin -propiāre (derivative of Latin prope near; see approach); (v.) late Middle English reprochen < Old French reprochier
Synonyms
1. chide, abuse, reprimand, reprehend, condemn, criticize. 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. 3. shame. 4, 5. reprehension, rebuke, criticism, remonstrance, condemnation, disapproval. 6. dishonor, shame, disrepute, odium, obloquy, opprobrium, ignominy, infamy, scorn.
Antonyms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for reproachable
Historical Examples
His linen was reproachable, his dingy boots were down at heel, and his cocked hat was drab with dust.
The Big Bow MysteryI. Zangwill
reproach
- to impute blame to (a person) for an action or fault; rebuke
- archaic to bring disgrace or shame upon
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- the act of reproaching
- rebuke or censure; reproofwords of reproach
- disgrace or shameto bring reproach upon one's family
- something that causes or merits blame, rebuke, or disgrace
- above reproach or beyond reproach perfect; beyond criticism
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Word Origin
C15: from Old French reprochier, from Latin re- + prope near
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for reproachable
reproach
n.
mid-14c., "a rebuke, blame, censure;" also "object of scorn or contempt;" c.1400, as "disgrace, state of disgrace," from Old French reproche "blame, shame, disgrace" (12c.), from reprochier "to blame, bring up against," said by some French etymologists to be from Vulgar Latin *repropiare, from Latin re- "opposite of" + prope "near" (see propinquity), with suggestions of "bring near to" as in modern "get in (someone's) face." But others would have it from *reprobicare, from Latin reprobus/reprobare (see reprobate (adj.)).
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reproach
v.
mid-14c., reprochen "to rebuke, reproach," from Anglo-French repruchier, Old French reprochier "upbraid, blame, accuse, speak ill of," from reproche (see reproach (n.)). Related: Reproached; reproaching.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper