Word of the Day

: September 9, 2006

upbraid

verb up-BRAYD

What It Means

1 : to criticize severely : find fault with

2 : to reproach severely : scold vehemently

upbraid in Context

After being late to class for the third time in a week, Marshall was upbraided by his teacher and given detention.

Did You Know?

"Upbraid," "scold," and "berate" all mean to reproach angrily, but with slight differences in emphasis. "Scold" usually implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper, either justly or unjustly. "Upbraid" tends to suggest censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds, while "berate" implies scolding that is prolonged and even abusive. If you're looking for a more colorful term for telling someone off, try "tongue-lash," "bawl out," "chew out," or "wig"-all of which are fairly close synonyms of "berate." Among these synonyms, "upbraid" is the senior member in English, dating from the 12th century. "Upbraid" derives via Middle English from the Old English "Ūpbregdan," believed to be formed from a prefix meaning "up" and the verb "bregdan," meaning "to snatch" or " to move suddenly."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.