Upbraid

up-BRAYD

Definition

(verb) To scold or criticize sharply.

Example

She upbraided her son for breaking the vase and lying about it.

Fun Fact

“Upbraid” was common in Elizabethan English, and Shakespeare used it over a dozen times in plays like Othello and Hamlet. It’s harsher than a gentle rebuke but often used where correction is needed more than punishment.

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