Dictionary.com
definitions

upbraiding

[uhp-brey-ding]
||

noun

the act or words of a person who upbraids; severe reproof or censure: an upbraiding from one's superiors.

adjective

severely reproachful or reproving; censorious: upbraiding remarks.

RELATED CONTENT

What “Occupy” Used To Mean May Make You BlushFrom Portland to St. Louis, the Occupy protests have been gaining momentum and continue to be front-page news. The protests sent us to the dictionary (where else?) to look up the etymology of the word “occupy.” We found an unexpected obsolete definition. The term occupy formerly meant something very different than its current common meaning. From the early 1500s to the 1800s, occupy was used …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

chastise, chide, berate, admonish, castigate, reprimand, reproach, ream, criticize, chasten, censure, blame, lecture

Nearby words

  1. upaya,
  2. upbear,
  3. upbeat,
  4. upbound,
  5. upbraid,
  6. upbringing,
  7. upbuild,
  8. upburst,
  9. upc,
  10. upcard

Origin of upbraiding

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at upbraid, -ing1, -ing2
Related formsup·braid·ing·ly, adverbself-up·braid·ing, nounun·up·braid·ing, adjectiveun·up·braid·ing·ly, adverb

upbraid

[uhp-breyd]

verb (used with object)

to find fault with or reproach severely; censure: The military tribunal upbraided the soldier for his cowardice.
(of things) to bring reproach on; serve as a reproach to.

verb (used without object)

Archaic. to utter reproaches.

Origin of upbraid

before 1000; Middle English; Old English upbrēdan to adduce as a fault. See up-, braid
SYNONYMS FOR upbraid
1. reprove, blame.
Related formsup·braid·er, nounun·up·braid·ed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See reprimand.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for upbraiding

British Dictionary definitions for upbraiding

upbraid

verb (tr)

to reprove or reproach angrily
to find fault with
Derived Formsupbraider, nounupbraiding, nounupbraidingly, adverb

Word Origin for upbraid

Old English upbregdan; related to Danish bebreide; see up, braid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for upbraiding

upbraid

v.

Old English upbregdan "bring forth as a ground for censure," from up "up" + bregdan "move quickly, intertwine" (see braid (v.)). Cf. Middle Swedish upbrygdha. Meaning "scold" is first attested late 13c. Related: Upbraided; upbraiding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper