scold
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to find fault; reprove.
-
to use abusive language.
noun
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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.
Related Words
See reproach.
Other Word Forms
- outscold verb (used with object)
- scoldable adjective
- scolder noun
- scolding noun
- scoldingly adverb
- unscolded adjective
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); skald; (verb) Middle English scolden, derivative of the noun
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.
Each time she persisted, overriding my commands, I scolded her for fighting me, and each time I would find later that she was right.
From Literature
I scolded him and he scolded me back.
From Literature
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.
He looked back at the door of his house, a quiet house without the sound of his mother’s scolding.
From Literature
The hearing is then paused for a break and when it reconvenes, Clinton's lawyer scolds the committee over leaking the image.
From BBC
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.
