Verbs for Criticism and Disapproval · Verbs: Verbal Action

to give a strong, negative review or opinion about something

"Critics panned the new movie."

"The famous film critic completely panned the movie saying that the acting was terrible and the plot made no sense at all."

to keep treating someone unfairly or making unfair remarks about them

"Stop picking on your little brother."

"The older children at school tend to pick on the younger smaller kids because they think it is funny to bully them."

to keep criticizing or complaining to someone about their behavior, work, or actions

"Don't go on at me."

"My boss tends to go on at me about minor mistakes, making me feel constantly scrutinized and stressed."

to publicly express one's disapproval of something or someone

"The leader denounced the violent protests."

"The activist stood up to denounce the government's unjust policies during the public rally."

to criticize or punish someone harshly

"The boss comes down on slackers."

"The teacher came down on the students severely for cheating on the exam and gave them all zero grades."

to criticize in a severe and harsh manner

"The teacher will scold you."

"The mother had to scold her young son for running into the busy street without looking for cars."

to put blame on someone or something for a mistake or problem

"You cannot fault his dedication."

"You cannot fault him for trying his best even though the results were not what we expected."

to criticize someone angrily and harshly

"The boss berated him for being late."

"The angry coach began to berate the players in the locker room after they lost the game by fifty points."

to severely criticize or scold someone for their actions or behaviors

"The boss will reprimand the lazy worker."

"The boss will reprimand any employee who arrives late to work without a valid excuse."

to strongly criticize someone for their actions or words

"The manager rebuked the employee publicly."

"The manager publicly rebuked the employee for making a careless mistake that cost the company a valuable client."

to intentionally make harmful statements to damage a person or thing's worth or reputation

"Do not denigrate your opponent's character."

"It is not professional to denigrate your coworkers behind their backs because that creates a toxic and unpleasant work environment for everyone involved."

to severely criticize, often with the intention of correcting someone's behavior or actions

"The teacher chastised the student."

"The coach had to chastise the player for his repeated rule violations during the important championship game."

to say bad and untrue things about someone, typically to damage their reputation

"Do not malign innocent people falsely."

"The jealous coworker maligned her rival by spreading false rumors about his work ethic and honesty."

to express mild disapproval, often in a gentle or corrective manner

"She chided him for forgetting her birthday."

"The mother gently chided her son for forgetting to do his chores and then asked him to complete them immediately."

to strongly and harshly criticize someone or something

"The teacher castigated the lazy student."

"The boss publicly castigated the employee for making such a careless mistake that cost the company a very important and large client."

to blame someone for a mistake they made

"Do not reproach yourself for mistakes."

"Do not reproach yourself for past mistakes because everyone makes errors and learns from them over time."

to criticize someone for doing or saying something that one believes to be wrong

"She upbraided him for his dishonesty."

"The supervisor harshly upbraided the intern for being late three times in one week and warned him that he might lose his job."

to criticize someone for their actions or behavior, often implying a need for correction

"The father reproved his son gently."

"The father gently reproved his son for forgetting to call his grandmother on her birthday."

to criticize severely, often with strong language

"The critic lambasts the poor film."

"The critic lambasted the film as boring poorly acted and completely lacking in any original ideas."

to say or feel that someone or something is responsible for a mistake or problem

"Do not blame others for mistakes."

"Do not blame others for your mistakes instead take responsibility and learn from what happened."

to point out the faults or weaknesses of someone or something

"It is easy to criticize others."

"It is easy to criticize others but much harder to recognize and improve our own weaknesses."

to strongly and publicly disapprove of something or someone

"The community condemns violent acts."

"The international community condemned the government's actions as human rights violations and demanded immediate changes."

to speak negatively about someone or something in a way that makes them seem inferior or weak

"Do not run down your coworkers."

"The old man tends to run down his neighbors whenever they are not listening but he is nice to their faces."