reprimand implies a severe, formal, often public or official rebuke.
reprimanded by the ethics committee
admonish suggests earnest or friendly warning and counsel.
admonished by my parents to control expenses
reproach and chide suggest displeasure or disappointment expressed in mild reproof or scolding.
reproached him for tardiness
chided by their mother for untidiness
Example Sentences
NounA bug in the logic of a design, though discovered and fixed in the lab, stands as a slight reproach to the designer. Tracy Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine, 1981Yes, he told them, when he came, it was quite true that they would have to pay interest. And then Teta Elzbieta broke forth into protestations and reproaches, so that the people outside stopped and peered in at the window. Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906"He's the finest boy in England," the father said in a tone of reproach to her, "and you don't seem to care for him, Becky, as much as you do for your spaniel. … " William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1847 She looked at him with reproach. Accusations and reproaches from both parties made it difficult to pursue discussions. His conduct has brought shame and reproach to his family. VerbParents and teachers gaped at the young writers, uncertain whether to reproach or praise these young adults for their language in writing about decidedly adult issues. Tobi Jacobi, English Journal, March 2007For years I fretted over these questions and reproached myself for not having taken that diary when it was offered to me in 1945. John Hope Franklin, Race and History, 1989She did not reproach herself with her failure; but she would have been happier if there had been less discrepancy between her words to Sophy Viner and the act which had followed them. Edith Wharton, The Reef, 1912 our neighbor loudly reproached us for tromping through his yard she cleared her throat as a way of reproaching us for having our elbows on the table See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Justin Herbert is beyond reproach at this stage of his career, his individual achievements sparing him from blame of the Chargers’ collective failures. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2022 Many of our employees never left the workplace and our track record supporting our employees' well-being and health throughout the pandemic has been beyond reproach.CBS News, 4 Sep. 2022 Nation/World KYIV, Ukraine — Until this week, Ukrainians seemed to see President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as beyond reproach, a national hero who stayed in Kyiv despite the risk to his personal safety to lead his country against invading Russian troops. Liz Sly, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 Until this week, Ukrainians seemed to see President Volodymyr Zelensky as beyond reproach, a national hero who stayed in Kyiv despite the risk to his personal safety to lead his country against invading Russian troops. Liz Sly, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022 Louise, a former nurse, has stoutly decided to care for Edward to the end without reproach or revulsion for the monstrous thing that is happening to him. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 17 June 2022 The stigma of actually believing in vaccines is so powerful in some communities that millions of Americans are getting inoculated in secret to avoid reproach -- even though the shots have been proved safe and effective. Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2021 International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach pushed back Friday against statements made by a Chinese official in what appeared to be a rare public reproach of host China. Saphora Smith, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2022 Each misstep, each momentary lapse in focus, earned a fresh reproach from the sous chef or, before long, a fellow intern. Caitlin Raux Gunther, Bon Appétit, 23 Feb. 2022
Verb
The failure to reproach Nebenzya for his near daily false claims is yet another way the U.N.'s credibility has taken a hit during the crisis, according to some critics. Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2022 The European countries that had seen fit to reproach Russia over the war had now moved on.New York Times, 16 Jan. 2022 This was not the moment to reproach the sailor deputies, though, or even to devise a punishment. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, National Review, 12 Oct. 2021 In addition to employing targeted and national sanctions, democratic countries have other ways to reproach states that violate international law. Shelley Inglis, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2021 In addition to targeted and national sanctions, democratic countries have other ways to reproach states that violate international law. Shelley Inglis, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2021 Parents reproach their children for failing to supply a polite answer instead of the real one.Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2021 But while aggression in women remains suspect, the public is drawn, now more than ever, to girls who reproach and rebuke, calling the world to account for its ills — and girls in turn are learning to harness that public gaze to effect larger change. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2020 His oppressive trainer reproaches him for being too soft, too feminine. David Kortava, The New Yorker, 5 June 2020 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English reproche, from Anglo-French, from reprocher to reproach, from Vulgar Latin *repropiare to bring close, show, from Latin re- + prope near — more at approach