scold
Other forms: scolding; scolded; scolds
When you scold someone, you (often angrily) point out and criticize some fault or error. If you forget again to clean up your room, your mom might scold you for it.
Scold can also be used as a noun to describe a person who irritates people by finding fault in everything. Your great aunt Merna, who during the holidays complains about her gifts, criticizes your weight, says the turkey is too dry, and the stuffing is soggy? She's a scold. Maybe she's cranky. Which brings us to the other way we can use scold as a verb: to grumble, grouch, or generally express one's crankiness. This latter meaning has more to do with the attitude of the scolder than the faults of the one being scolded.
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censure severely or angrily“The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car”
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synonyms:
bawl out, berate, 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, take to task, trounce, vituperate
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show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
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someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault
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synonyms:
common scold, nag, nagger, scolder
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types:
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harridan
a scolding (even vicious) old woman
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type of:
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disagreeable person, unpleasant person
a person who is not pleasant or agreeable
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harridan
/skoʊld/
/skəʊld/
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Vocabulary lists containing scold
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Fleeing to America to escape the Vietnam War, Hà and her family end up in Alabama, where they must adapt to a new culture. This novel in verse was inspired by author Thanhha Lai's own experiences.
Archetypal grumpy-old-man W.C. Fields famously quipped: "Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." Whether you are a curmudgeon yourself or just know one, take a moment to delight in the lingo of grouchiness. Read the full article: The Cranky Lexicon of Curmudgeons Day