as in reprimands
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
he scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen
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Recent Examples of scolds
Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
McMahon likes to remind scolds that wrestling is a morality play.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
This cross-partisan skit is refreshing and the only people who might hate it are Cuomo supporters and maybe some woke scolds.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
On our hike, Jessie Krebs scolds her boots for sliding on a slick, house-size boulder.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2026
While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Or on Bluesky with the joke scolds, or on Mastodon with the Linux hackers, or on Threads with the voice-forward brands?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
The crew sets sail to the North Pole and Anderson scolds his crew to be more focused.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Nov. 2025
Governance scolds are appalled by the number, as is the pope.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
Or tie scolds to the ducking stool again.
—Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
McMahon likes to remind scolds that wrestling is a morality play.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
This cross-partisan skit is refreshing and the only people who might hate it are Cuomo supporters and maybe some woke scolds.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
On our hike, Jessie Krebs scolds her boots for sliding on a slick, house-size boulder.
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2026
While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Or on Bluesky with the joke scolds, or on Mastodon with the Linux hackers, or on Threads with the voice-forward brands?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
The crew sets sail to the North Pole and Anderson scolds his crew to be more focused.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Nov. 2025
Governance scolds are appalled by the number, as is the pope.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scolds
Verb
-
His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When not writing, May frequently lectures on the politics and policies of mass incarceration for university classes, academic conferences, and online events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
With me, my wife lectures me more than my children.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
OpenAI memo criticizes Anthropic watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Schiavo raised a similar concern, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board regularly criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators for not implementing obvious solutions, even after accidents occur.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Maybe that’s why, compared with some other kinds of nitpickers, pop critics can seem especially extraneous.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The oil industry blames California’s environmental policies for driving them out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Over a year after their podcast Plan Bri Uncut ended, LaPaglia blames Call Her Daddy’s founding father, Alex Cooper, for the nail in the coffin for her friendship with O’Malley.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But critics of this effort say this internal mechanism fails to provide meaningful accountability and would protect wrongdoers from any future state bar investigation.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
-
But Rotten Tomatoes scores are averaged from professional film critics, while Academy voters are film professionals — two disparate groups.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Judge admonishes Musk over social media use Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its largest investors, with proceeds going to OpenAI’s charitable arm.—
Deepa Seetharaman,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Deeply religious, Jean’s mother, in the film, admonishes her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Scolds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scolds. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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