upbraid
Americanverb (used with object)
-
upbraids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upbraided,
past participle, past
-
upbraiding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
upbraids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upbraided,
past participle, past
-
upbraiding
present participle
verb
-
to reprove or reproach angrily
-
to find fault with
Synonym Usage
See reprimand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
upbraidsimple
-
upbraidssimple
-
have upbraidedperfect
-
has upbraidedperfect
-
am upbraidingprogressive
-
are upbraidingprogressive
-
is upbraidingprogressive
-
have been upbraidingperfect progressive
-
has been upbraidingperfect progressive
Past
-
upbraidedsimple
-
had upbraidedperfect
-
was upbraidingprogressive
-
were upbraidingprogressive
-
had been upbraidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upbraid
before 1000; Middle English; Old English upbrēdan to adduce as a fault. See up-, braid
Explanation
No, upbraid isn’t an elaborate hairdo. When you upbraid people, you scold them, tell them off, and criticize them. (You could, however, upbraid your stylist after a bad haircut.) The word upbraid comes from the Old English word upbregdan, which literally means "bring up quickly." Although this word doesn't have anything to do with hair, upbraid and braid are, in fact, related. The original meaning of braid was "to move quickly from side to side," which is what you do with your fingers when you're braiding someone's hair. When you upbraid someone, you're quickly bringing up different reasons why you're mad at them.
Vocabulary lists containing upbraid
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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:
Finally, Hoover summoned the California delegation to his hotel room to upbraid them crisply for their “outrageous, scandalous” demand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
Since then she has continued to upbraid Mr Trump.
From BBC ● May 11, 2021
It’s understandable to have complicated needs and feelings even in the wake of great grief, and I don’t want you to upbraid yourself when you already feel a sense of guilt.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2020
He was trying in a Judiciary Committee hearing today to upbraid Neomi Rao, the lawyer nominated to the D.C.
From Fox News ● Feb. 5, 2019
At times, I even saw him upbraid them, though this was extremely rare.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
The question haunts “Remake” — he includes an indelible sequence from “Sherman’s March” in which his longtime friend Charleen upbraids him for always having the camera out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
His sister upbraids him for thoughtlessly ignoring their traditions.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 25, 2019
His martinet father upbraids every family member present.
From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2018
Then, just as everyone else is growing more chatty and carefree, the princess abruptly remounts her high horse and upbraids a hapless guest for overfamiliarity.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 23, 2017
In the solitary forest, where I lived quiet and at peace, what had I done to you," Ortrud upbraids, "what had I done to you?
From The Wagnerian Romances by Gertrude Hall Brownell
But one day a close friend upbraided me for shunning Black Friday, insisting that such antisocial tightfistedness was inherently un-American.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Superior Court Judge William F. Fahey upbraided Adams for repeatedly racking up more in fees than the judge had authorized.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2023
Workers told the BBC about "severe" conditions, claiming they are constantly monitored and upbraided for "idle time" lasting just a few minutes.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2023
Later, a teenager initially upbraided by Otto tells him that Otto’s wife, who had been a schoolteacher, “was the only person who didn’t treat me like a freak, because I’m transgender.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2022
There was seldom any danger of my raising the bar, but at the Hearthside Annette once upbraided me for freshening up the display desserts: “They’ll expect us all to start doing that!”
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
He’s hardly able to parry the upbraiding meted out by Mr. Giamatti’s Jean, fastidiously dressed and radiating pompous self-satisfaction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It might have seemed an unusual upbraiding of a president by a sitting judge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
"An actual upbraiding from the court for the Trump Org."
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2022
Kimura, who was introduced as a fun-loving jokester, attracted increased negative attention online after upbraiding a housemate for ruining one of her wrestling costumes.
From Reuters ● Jun. 2, 2020
During John’s first year at the University of South Dakota, when he had discovered basketball and girls and slacked off in his studies, he received a stern upbraiding.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
