berate

/bɪˈreɪt/

/bɪˈreɪt/

Other forms: berated; berating; berates

A strong verb for harshly cutting someone down with words is berate. "He didn't just correct the cashier who gave him the wrong change — he started to berate her, calling her names in front of the whole store."

When you berate someone, you do more than just raise your voice at them; berate implies putting someone down by insulting their character. This word comes from a 16th-century English and French root meaning "to scold or blame." Often the anger behind the scolding seems over-the-top, as in "When the young man behind the counter dropped the scoop of vanilla, the manager berated him excessively by declaring him worthless and weak."

Definitions of berate

1. verb

   censure severely or angrily
   synonyms: bawl out, call down, call on the carpet, chew out, chew up, chide, dress down, have words, jaw, lambast, lambaste, lecture, rag, rebuke, remonstrate, reprimand, reproof, scathe, scold, take to task, trounce, vituperate

   types:

   castigate, chasten, chastise, correct, objurgate

   censure severely

   brush down, tell off

   reprimand

   flame

   criticize harshly, usually via an electronic medium

   type of:

   criticise, criticize, knock, pick apart

   find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws