reprove
reprove Lexical Profile
reprove Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To reprimand, censure, or correct someone, often gently or with a view to moral improvement.
"The teacher gently reproved the students for talking during the assembly."
To express strong disapproval of or condemn (an action, fault, or quality).
"In her essay, the philosopher reproved the growing tendency toward cynicism in public life."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Reprove' usually implies a calm, principled, or mild correction motivated by a desire to improve the offender's behavior, whereas 'reprimand' and 'rebuke' suggest sharper, more official, or sterner criticism.
• Rhymes for reprove
Word Origin & Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-Norman French 'reprover', derived from Late Latin 'reprobare' ('to disapprove' or 'condemn'), a combination of 're-' (expressing reversal or opposition) and 'probare' ('to test' or 'approve'). It is a linguistic doublet of 'reprobate'.