scold
Americanverb (used with object)
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scolds,
present (3rd person singular)
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scolded,
past participle, past
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scolding
present participle
verb (used without object)
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scolds,
present (3rd person singular)
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scolded,
past participle, past
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scolding
present participle
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to find fault; reprove.
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to use abusive language.
noun
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scolds
plural
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a person who is constantly scolding, often with loud and abusive speech.
verb
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to find fault with or reprimand (a person) harshly; chide
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(intr) to use harsh or abusive language
noun
Usage
What does scold mean? Scold means to angrily or harshly tell someone that they've said or done something you think is wrong, often with the intent of making them feel bad about it so that they don't do it againA person may scold both other people and animals when they do something wrong. When it comes to people, it is often adults scolding children. The noun scold refers to a person who frequently judges other people or points out their faults. This sense of the word is almost always used negatively to imply that such a person scolds too much or is often angry. Example: My dad scolded my dog after it chewed up the couch.
Synonym Usage
See reproach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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scoldernoun
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scoldingnoun
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outscoldverb (used with object)
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scoldableadjective
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unscoldedadjective
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scoldinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scoldsimple
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scoldssimple
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have scoldedperfect
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has scoldedperfect
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am scoldingprogressive
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are scoldingprogressive
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is scoldingprogressive
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have been scoldingperfect progressive
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has been scoldingperfect progressive
Past
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scoldedsimple
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had scoldedperfect
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was scoldingprogressive
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were scoldingprogressive
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had been scoldingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scold
First recorded in 1150–1200; (noun) Middle English, variant of scald, from Old Norse skald “poet” (as author of insulting poems); see skald; (verb) Middle English scolden, derivative of the noun
Explanation
When you scold someone, you (often angrily) point out and criticize some fault or error. If you forget again to clean up your room, your mom might scold you for it. Scold can also be used as a noun to describe a person who irritates people by finding fault in everything. Your great aunt Merna, who during the holidays complains about her gifts, criticizes your weight, says the turkey is too dry, and the stuffing is soggy? She's a scold. Maybe she's cranky. Which brings us to the other way we can use scold as a verb: to grumble, grouch, or generally express one's crankiness. This latter meaning has more to do with the attitude of the scolder than the faults of the one being scolded.
Vocabulary lists containing scold
Instead of "Said": Vexed Verbiage to Express Anger
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Curmudgeon, Cantankerous and Churlish: Grouchy Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Wasn't Me: The Lingo of Laying Blame
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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:
"I really want to give it up. Every day I scold myself and tell myself to quit: no more, no more."
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
The movie doesn’t quite know how to handle Mabel: She’s meant to be charmingly determined but comes across as more of a scold and a busybody.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
“You can’t degrade the travel experience for decades and then scold people for dressing to endure the experience,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026
"Now I'm braver, so I go along with it when they scold me."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2025
Yedsha had already embarrassed her in the square, and now he was going to scold her too.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Maybe you could call it a tea party wokeness, purged of pedants and scolds.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Americans are funny like that: We tend to feel we know better than pinch-lipped moral scolds what’s best for our lives.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
In another, her daughter scolds her for leaving her expensive cheer uniform in the back of her Bronco for weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
"If you think a man like you can manipulate me, go back to your mum," she scolds.
From BBC ● May 9, 2025
“Yeah, yeah, and you steered the Titanic into that iceberg too,” Pouncey scolds me.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Novelist Dame Jilly Cooper scolded the team behind Rivals and told them to stop making her "macho men" cry on screen, an executive producer on the show has said.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
“Please do not raise your board. We’ve talked about this before,” the chairwoman scolded when Porter tried to hold up a “Financial Services Bingo” card during a 2019 hearing on debt collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
In the denial, the patent commissioner scolded Hunt for allowing “his discovery to slumber” for so long, saying he submitted an application only to “strangle” someone else’s invention, presumably Howe’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has scolded reporters who ask basic questions about the war’s justification or objectives.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
“You’d best leave this mule alone, Flora,” I scolded, raising my voice to be heard over Lucky Pete’s piteous braying and hiccupping.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
"I had imagined us being together until we're old, her scolding me until we're old, but now I can't hear her voice any more."
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
In 2018, he issued his most famous scolding, decrying the court’s failure to take up California’s 10-day waiting period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
They’re like, “You should be out there scolding people who use this term colloquially.”
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The other man, after getting to his feet, appears to continue scolding Ritchson before the actor and his family drive off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
I was tired of scolding my sister and was glad Mrs. stepped in.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
