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Definition of berate

berate

/bɪˈreɪt/
be · rate
Past Simple:berated
•
Past Participle:berated
•
Present Participle:berating
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berate Lexical Profile

berate Game Scores & Validity

• verb

1

To scold or criticize someone angrily and at length.

Example

"The coach began to berate the players in the locker room after their careless mistakes in the first half."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for berate

• Nearby Words

benue
bequeath
bequest
berate
berber
bereave
bereaved

Word Origin & Etymology

Formed in the mid-16th century from the intensive prefix 'be-' ('thoroughly') and the older verb 'rate' ('to scold or reprove'), likely derived from Old French 'reter' ('to accuse or blame').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Berate. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/berate
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