Berate

Pronunciation: /bɪˈreɪt/

Definitions of berate

verb to scold or criticize someone angrily

Example Sentences

A1 She berated her brother for not cleaning his room.

A2 The teacher berated the students for not doing their homework.

B1 The manager berated the employee for making a mistake in the report.

B2 The coach berated the players for their lack of effort during the game.

C1 The politician berated his opponent during the debate.

C2 The film critic berated the director for the poor quality of the movie.

Examples of berate in a Sentence

formal The boss proceeded to berate the employee for not meeting the deadline.

informal My mom will berate me if I forget to take out the trash again.

slang I heard that teacher loves to berate students for no reason.

figurative The storm seemed to berate the coastline with its fierce winds and rain.

Grammatical Forms of berate

• past tense: berated
• plural: berate
• comparative: more berate
• superlative: most berate
• present tense: berates
• future tense: will berate
• perfect tense: have berated
• continuous tense: is berating
• singular: berates
• positive degree: berate
• infinitive: to berate
• gerund: berating
• participle: berating

Origin and Evolution of berate

First Known Use: 0015 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'berate' originated from the Middle English word 'beraten' which meant 'to scold'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'berate' has retained its original meaning of scolding or criticizing harshly, but it has also come to be used more broadly to refer to any form of verbal reprimand or rebuke.