berates

verb

present tense third-person singular of berate
as in scolds
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings there's no need to berate someone for making a mistake during the first day on the job

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of berates Lizzie’s father, meanwhile, stands by quietly as his wife berates both his daughter and the family maid, Margaret, at dinner that evening. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026 But the real anger belongs to the narrator herself, who berates herself for bringing a succession of troubled men into her son’s life. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 July 2026 And Vance berates Democrats in a visit to Minneapolis. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026 Cast members performed on The Tonight Show and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, in a sketch in which host Bad Bunny berates his friends for failing to grasp the movie’s brilliance. — Eliza Berman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025 Flies buzz around my ears; a distant dog berates a passing motorbike. — Hannah Foster-Roe, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Nov. 2025 The president publicly berates reporters — often female ones — for cheap laughs several times a week, and is met with little more than shrugs. — Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Oct. 2025 In another clip, his mother berates Pormanove over the phone for letting the co-streamers shave off parts of his hair. — Philippe Cordier, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berates
  1. scolds
  2. reprimands
  3. criticizes
  4. lectures
  5. blames
Verb
  • Some intergenerational sparring ensues, as Kevin scolds Arthur for his more outré boomer comments, and Arthur in turn sneers at his grandson’s millennial lameness.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The audience screams in response, and Scovel scolds them again but this time with a smile.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolds
Verb
  • Being a fly on the wall is precisely what Hard Knocks makes viewers feel like in the moment when Head Coach Mike Macdonald reprimands linebacker Derick Hall for getting too close to a quarterback.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The emperor reprimands her for being late for the rainmaking ritual.
    — Lavender Au, The Dial, 30 June 2026
Definition of reprimands
Verb
  • One candidate promises to lower gas and grocery prices and criticizes the incumbent for not doing so (as if politicians can control the market).
    — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Reddington says the defense won the case and criticizes the holdout juror.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticizes
Verb
  • Often, the pincher is in the company of an elder who lectures to her.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Professors structure lectures with an awareness of how a sentence might circulate online.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of lectures
Verb
  • Within days, her complaint – which names fraternity members and others, and blames Cornell and its police department for failure to act on her original report – became a focus of intense public attention.
    — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
  • But the British Beer & Pub Association blames tax and overheads, and across the EU, the share of beer drunk in pubs, bars, and restaurants has stopped shrinking after years of decline.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of blames

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Cite this Entry

“Berates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berates. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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