reproaching

verb

present participle of reproach
1
as in scolding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings our neighbor loudly reproached us for tromping through his yard

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in admonishing
to criticize (someone) usually gently so as to correct a fault she cleared her throat as a way of reproaching us for having our elbows on the table

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in censuring
to express public or formal disapproval of the governor reproached the legislature for failing to pass the budget on time and once again throwing the state into fiscal chaos

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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 reproaching As expected, Carly didn’t take the bait, reproaching Z for referring to her daughter by her last name, spy style. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026 The pillow talk on Man’s Best Friend often takes the curt, assertive tone of a person reproaching a precocious pet. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reproaching
  1. scolding
  2. admonishing
  3. censuring
  4. lecturing
  5. reprimanding
  6. denouncing
  7. criticizing
  8. blaming
Verb
  • By the time his daughter shows up, flanked by her mom and upright dentist stepdad, Lee’s moved on from scolding the room to thanking his mother for believing him.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Others criticized Anderson for seemingly scolding fans and trying to tell them where to sit.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of scolding
Verb
  • Santa hurries away to save Christmas after admonishing Jack for not listening to Sally.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Police Chief Bret Cottrell wrote a letter that same day to the sergeant admonishing his actions, according to the suit.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of admonishing
Verb
  • Two Republicans voted against censuring Edwards, despite the recommendation.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The City Council, which is considering censuring the mayor, asked for assistance because the city’s Human Resources director wasn’t available at the time, according to Mayor Pro Tem Tara Graves.
    — Elijah Megginson, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of censuring
Verb
  • For decades, Zinn traveled the country lecturing to packed auditoriums.
    — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The bald guy lecturing me on how to get the money looked real enough, but the question of his true being kept rattling around my increasingly paranoid mind.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of lecturing
Verb
  • Instead of reprimanding his pet, Linnetz seems to recognize the moment as a potentially good shot.
    — Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The audience awkwardly chuckles, and Scovel, eyes still closed, begins reprimanding them.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of reprimanding
Verb
  • If the main predictor of racial disparities in prison is poverty, then denouncing police and prosecutors as racist won't shrink those gaps.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Before entering politics, Correa published papers denouncing dollarization and sketched a plan to unwind it.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of denouncing
Verb
  • Multiple Republicans brought up Bottoms during the debate when criticizing their GOP opponent.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Raman brought up Gates briefly while criticizing the mayor over the Los Angeles Police Department’s handling of federal immigration enforcement during Tuesday night’s debate.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticizing
Verb
  • No commercial goods have entered the Gaza Strip for two days, Israeli authorities said Thursday, blaming the suspension on merchants angered by taxes imposed by the militant group Hamas — a claim that Palestinian importers deny.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Guillard would go on to upload hundreds of videos blaming the professor, raking in millions of views.
    — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of blaming

Browse Nearby Words

reproachfully
reproaching
reproachingly
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Cite this Entry

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

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