Meanings
nounreproach (countable and uncountable, plural reproaches)
plural reproaches
- countableAn object of scorn.
verbreproach (third-person singular simple present reproaches, present participle reproaching, simple past and past participle reproached)
present singular third person reproaches · participle present reproaching · participle past reproached · past reproached
- transitiveTo criticize or rebuke (someone).
if ye be reproached for the name of Christ
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Peter 4:142 more examples
this new commer, Shame, There sit not, and reproach us as unclean.
1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLCMezentius […] with his ardour warmed / His fainting friends, reproached their shameful flight, / Repelled the victors.
1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLCSynonyms: exprobrate, blame, rebuke, upbraid, admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out
- transitiveTo disgrace, or bring shame upon.
I thought your marriage fit; else imputation, / For that he knew you, might reproach your life.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]Synonyms: disgrace, dishonor, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo criticize or rebuke (someone).
verbTo disgrace, or bring shame upon.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Italic*wre-
- Latinre-
- Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
- Proto-Indo-European*pér
- Proto-Indo-European*pró
- Proto-Indo-European*pro-
- Proto-Italic*pro-
- Proto-Indo-European*preyH-
- Proto-Indo-European*priHós
- Proto-Italic*prijos
- Proto-Italic*proprijos
- Latinproprius
- Latinpropriō
- Vulgar Latin*repropiō
- Old Frenchreprochier
- Middle Englishreprochen
- Englishreproach
From Middle English reprochen, from Old French reprochier (Modern French reprocher).
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὄνειδος, αἰσχύνη
- ὄνειδος (óneidos)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- αἰσχύνη (aiskhúnē)disgrace or shame
- ὀνειδίζω (oneidízō)to criticize or rebuke someone
Arabic تَأْنِيب, عَذَل
- تَأْنِيب (taʔnīb)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- عَذَل (ʕaḏal)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- مَلاَمَة (malāma)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- أَنَّبَ (ʔannaba)to criticize or rebuke someone
- أَلَامَ (ʔalāma)to criticize or rebuke someone
- عَتَبَ (ʕataba)to criticize or rebuke someone
Bulgarian у́прек, у́кор
- у́прек (úprek)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- у́кор (úkor)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- срам (sram)disgrace or shame
- позо́р (pozór)disgrace or shame
- упре́квам (uprékvam)to criticize or rebuke someone
- упре́кна (uprékna)to criticize or rebuke someone
- укоря́вам (ukorjávam)to criticize or rebuke someone
- позоря́ (pozorjá)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- засра́мвам (zasrámvam)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Catalan retret, retreure
- retretmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- retreureto criticize or rebuke someone
Chinese Mandarin 責備 /责备, 批评
- 責備 /责备 (zébèi)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- 批评 (pīpíng)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- 恥辱 /耻辱 (chǐrǔ)disgrace or shame
- 責備 /责备 (zébèi)to criticize or rebuke someone
- 譴責 /谴责 (qiǎnzé)to criticize or rebuke someone
- 批評 /批评 (pīpíng)to criticize or rebuke someone
- 羞辱 (xiūrǔ)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Czech výtka, výčitka
- výtkamild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- výčitkamild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- hanbadisgrace or shame
- vyčítatto criticize or rebuke someone
- vyčístto criticize or rebuke someone
- vytýkatto criticize or rebuke someone
- vytknoutto criticize or rebuke someone
- káratto criticize or rebuke someone
Danish bebrejdelse, bebrejde
- bebrejdelsemild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- bebrejdeto criticize or rebuke someone
Dutch berisping, schande
- berispingmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- schandedisgrace or shame
- schaamtedisgrace or shame
- berispento criticize or rebuke someone
- beschamento disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Esperanto riproĉo, criproĉi
- riproĉomild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- criproĉito criticize or rebuke someone
- admonito criticize or rebuke someone
- riproĉito criticize or rebuke someone
- riproĉito disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Finnish moite, häpeä
- moitemild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- häpeädisgrace or shame
- moittiato criticize or rebuke someone
- tuottaa häpeääto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- saattaa häpeäänto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
French reproche, réprobation
- reprochemild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- réprobationmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- opprobredisgrace or shame
- reprocherto criticize or rebuke someone
German Vorwurf, Schande
- Vorwurfmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- Schandedisgrace or shame
- einen Vorwurf machento criticize or rebuke someone
- Vorwürfe machento criticize or rebuke someone
- vorwerfento criticize or rebuke someone
Greek επίπληξη
- επίπληξη (epíplixi)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
Hindi उलाहना, परिवाद
- उलाहना (ulāhnā)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- परिवाद (parivād)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- तिरस्कार (tiraskār)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
Hungarian szemrehányás, szégyen
- szemrehányásmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- szégyendisgrace or shame
- szemrehányást teszto criticize or rebuke someone
- felróto criticize or rebuke someone
- szemére hányto criticize or rebuke someone
- megszégyenítto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Irish aifirt, oirbhire
- aifirtmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- oirbhiremild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- aiscmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- achasánmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- milleánmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- achasán a thabhairt (do dhuine)to criticize or rebuke someone
- imdheargto criticize or rebuke someone
- aifirto criticize or rebuke someone
Italian rimbrotto, rimprovero
- rimbrottomild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- rimproveromild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- appuntomild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- richiamomild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- reprimendamild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- infamiadisgrace or shame
- vergognadisgrace or shame
- riprovazionedisgrace or shame
- rimbrottareto criticize or rebuke someone
- rimproverareto criticize or rebuke someone
- richiamareto criticize or rebuke someone
- riprendereto criticize or rebuke someone
- infamareto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- svergognareto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Japanese 非難, 恥辱
- 非難 (hinan)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- 恥辱 (chijoku)disgrace or shame
- 非難する (hinan suru)to criticize or rebuke someone
- 責める (semeru)to criticize or rebuke someone
Korean 비난, 책망
- 비난 (binan)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- 책망 (chaengmang)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- 나무람 (namuram)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- 치욕 (chiyok)disgrace or shame
- 비난하다 (binanhada)to criticize or rebuke someone
- 책망하다 (chaengmanghada)to criticize or rebuke someone
- 꾸짖다 (kkujitda)to criticize or rebuke someone
- 나무라다 (namurada)to criticize or rebuke someone
Latin opprobrō
- opprobrōto criticize or rebuke someone
Māori kōwhetewhete
- kōwhetewheteto criticize or rebuke someone
Norwegian Bokmål bebreidelse, bebreide
- bebreidelsemild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- bebreideto criticize or rebuke someone
- klandreto criticize or rebuke someone
- håneto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Polish zarzut, wyrzut
- zarzutmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- wyrzutmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- hańbadisgrace or shame
- zarzucaćto criticize or rebuke someone
- zarzucićto criticize or rebuke someone
- hańbićto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- zhańbićto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Portuguese reprimenda, reproche
- reprimendamild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- reprochemild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- admoestaçãomild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- vergonhadisgrace or shame
- reprocharto criticize or rebuke someone
- repreenderto criticize or rebuke someone
Romanian reproș, a reproșa
- reproșmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- a reproșato criticize or rebuke someone
- a imputato criticize or rebuke someone
Russian упрёк, уко́р
- упрёк (uprjók)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- уко́р (ukór)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- укори́зна (ukorízna)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- позо́р (pozór)disgrace or shame
- срам (sram)disgrace or shame
- упрека́ть (uprekátʹ)to criticize or rebuke someone
- упрекну́ть (upreknútʹ)to criticize or rebuke someone
- укоря́ть (ukorjátʹ)to criticize or rebuke someone
- кори́ть (korítʹ)to criticize or rebuke someone
- позо́рить (pozóritʹ)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- опозо́рить (opozóritʹ)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- бесче́стить (besčéstitʹ)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- обесче́стить (obesčéstitʹ)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- срами́ть (sramítʹ)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- осрами́ть (osramítʹ)to disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Scottish Gaelic achmhasan, càineadh
- achmhasanmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- càineadhmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- cronachadhmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- trodmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- masladhdisgrace or shame
- càinto criticize or rebuke someone
- cronaichto criticize or rebuke someone
- troidto criticize or rebuke someone
Slovak výčitka, hanba
- výčitkamild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- hanbadisgrace or shame
- vyčítaťto criticize or rebuke someone
- vytýkaťto criticize or rebuke someone
Spanish reproche, vergüenza
- reprochemild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- vergüenzadisgrace or shame
- reprocharto criticize or rebuke someone
- enrostrarto criticize or rebuke someone
- reprocharto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- enrostrarto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- dar en carato disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- echar en carato disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- echar en la carato disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- echar a la carato disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
- afrontarto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Swedish förebråelse, klandra
- förebråelsemild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- klandrato criticize or rebuke someone
- förebråto criticize or rebuke someone
Tagalog pagsabihan, pagsabihan
- pagsabihanmild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- pagsabihanto criticize or rebuke someone
Thai ต่อว่า
- ต่อว่า (dtɔ̀ɔ-wâa)to criticize or rebuke someone
Turkish abırlamak
- abırlamakto disgrace, or bring shame upon someone
Ukrainian до́кір, докі́р
- до́кір (dókir)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- докі́р (dokír)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- за́кид (zákyd)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
- ганьба́ (hanʹbá)disgrace or shame
- со́ром (sórom)disgrace or shame
- доріка́ти (dorikáty)to criticize or rebuke someone
- дорікну́ти (doriknúty)to criticize or rebuke someone
- доректи́ (dorektý)to criticize or rebuke someone
- докоря́ти (dokorjáty)to criticize or rebuke someone
Urdu مَلامَت
- مَلامَت (malāmat)mild rebuke, or an implied criticism
Welsh edliw
- edliwto criticize or rebuke someone
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with reproach
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
reproach. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reproach
MLA
“reproach.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reproach. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “reproach,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reproach.
Source: reproach on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.