rebuked

verb

past tense of rebuke
1
as in admonished
to criticize (someone) so as to correct a fault the father was forced to rebuke his son for the spendthrift ways he had adopted since arriving at college

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings strongly rebuked the girl for playing with matches

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in reprimanded
to express public or formal disapproval of in a rare move, the state's supreme court rebuked the governor for trying to circumvent one of its recent rulings

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 rebuked Manuel Bompard, a deputy of the French National Assembly who is also a member of France Unbowed, rebuked Macron by name for implying that his party was responsible for the chaos. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026 He was rebuked by both Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Undersecretary Paul Wolfowitz. — Matthew Warshauer, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026 One night earlier in the tour, a woman Usher had brought onstage rebuked him, which embarrassed him. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026 Police have rebuked their concerns that local surveillance data could be shared with federal agencies for immigration enforcement purposes. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 16 Aug. 2026 Hall also rebuked Laster for contacting a co-defendant after their indictment. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 At a news conference Wednesday, Wahab rebuked Mohan’s statements. — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026 The president, who has long insisted that someone maliciously vandalized the lining of the pool with a knife or boxcutter, first rebuked Pirro's decision to drop the Hearn case in a Saturday social media post. — Emily Chang, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 But many Republicans rebuked the idea of his arrest - including the president himself. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuked
  1. admonished
  2. scolded
  3. reprimanded
  4. criticized
  5. lectured
  6. censured
  7. blamed
  8. condemned
Verb
  • The restrictions emerged just days after Trump admonished Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the press, calling on the leader to step down and hold wartime elections.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Despite being a point of contention for Prince William and Prince Harry, who’ve publicly admonished him for revealing personal details about Diana for financial gain, this memoir is only one of several royal tell-alls penned by Burrell.
    — Sophie Dunne, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of admonished
Verb
  • District of Columbia Judge Ana Reyes angrily scolded government attorneys in a hearing to block the government from cutting down more trees at East Potomac Golf Course.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Eventually, all charges were dropped days before trial after Perry was finally given the full, unredacted grand jury transcripts and scolded prosecutors for violating the inherent trust placed in the office.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Mandell was later formally reprimanded for allowing another client’s hearing to be delayed by six years, during which time two witnesses died.
    — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Denver school board censured director Monica Hunter on Thursday night, the third time in five years that the governing body of Colorado’s largest K-12 district has publicly reprimanded a colleague.
    — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • The article also cites Pan Jinyu, a Chinese-speaking tour guide in London, who criticized the lack of coverage by UK media.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Others criticized how quickly the store went into defensive mode.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • Earhart lectured at the school before embarking on her final flight.
    — News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Luann patiently attempts to explain that the women don’t like being lectured to about their business affairs, only for Vicki to abruptly answer a phone call mid-conversation.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of lectured
Verb
  • The Denver school board censured director Monica Hunter on Thursday night, the third time in five years that the governing body of Colorado’s largest K-12 district has publicly reprimanded a colleague.
    — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rather than being censured for the debacle, however, Li was elevated by Xi to the top ranks of the Politburo Standing Committee in 2022 and made state premier in 2023.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of censured
Verb
  • The city's medical examiner, Charles Norris, blamed the federal government's practice of adding toxic substances to industrial alcohol, including those involving methyl alcohol, also known as methanol, which can cause blindness and death.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Other adolescents have also suffered life-changing injuries blamed on police weaponry during protests.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of blamed
Verb
  • However, even natural-appearing cosmetic work is condemned online.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Intermarché condemned the food waste and financial losses resulting from the attack, without providing figures.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of condemned

Browse Nearby Words

rebuke
rebuked
rebuker
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Cite this Entry

“Rebuked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuked. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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