verb
berate
bih-RAYT
verb
1
To scold someone harshly and at length.
"Her boss berated her in front of the whole team for the missed deadline."
"He berated himself for forgetting his mother's birthday."
How to Use Berate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo tell someone off angrily, usually going on about it rather than a quick word.
Common mistake
Berate always implies harsh, sustained criticism — it is stronger than "correct" or "criticize" and usually carries anger.
Common pairings
berate someone for
berate himself
publicly berated
Word Forms
berated past tense, berates singular
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Her boss _____ her in front of the whole team for the missed deadline.
Etymology
From be- (an intensifying prefix) plus rate, an old verb meaning "to scold" — so berate literally means to rate someone down hard.