Berated Meaning and Definition

Pronunciation

/bəˈreɪtɪd/ 🔊

Part of Speech

Verb (Past participle)

Definition

Brought intense and harsh criticism upon someone; subjecting them to bitter rebukes, strong criticism or complaints; treating severely, sometimes publicly or cruelly, making sharp complaints against; causing excessive denigration; spoke unfavorably to scold vigorously

Examples

• The berated artist gave up painting for months after reading cruel comments.
• The irate manager strongly berated his underperforming staff.

Synonyms

• Harassed
• Scolded

Antonyms

• Praised
• Complimented

Additional Information

Berated refers to when a person is criticized harshly or reprimanded strongly. While verbal abuse is never acceptable in a professional or social environment, a manager may berate an underperforming employee when other attempts at a verbal warning fail. The consequence of constant belittling is often that the recipient starts to act demotivated or become very much depressed.

When using berated in context, consider the scenario or situation being described. As mentioned in antonyms, a way to counter berated behavior is to actually positively motivate the affected person.

Etymology

Berated is derived from the Old English word ‘beraten,’ which means ‘misled’ or ‘deceived,’ through the Middle English word ‘berayten.’ In modern English, this term shifted in meaning to denote verbal abuse or scolding.

Usage Notes

The term can be used in both casual and formal discussions, though it more typically occurs in written than spoken contexts.

Cultural References

Characters in books and movies often undergo or experience situations of being berated to emphasize their hardships or inferior social position in the society.

Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases

• Get berated – This idiom can be used interchangeably with ‘berated’ but with an added sense of casualness.

Related Words or Phrases

• Reprimanded – Similar term for reproof, harshly reprimanding.

Collocations

• Berated the critics
• was constantly berated for doing X, Y and Z things incorrectly.

Frequency of Use

The frequency of this term usage seems very sparse across regular dialogue with conversations like general language though making in roads recently

Common Misspellings

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