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Verbs of Verbal Action /

Verbs for Criticism and Disapproval

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1-
to blame
2-
to criticize
3-
to condemn
4-
to pan
5-
to pick on
6-
to go on at
7-
to run down
8-
to denounce
9-
to come down on
10-
to scold
11-
to fault
12-
to berate
13-
to reprimand
14-
to rebuke
15-
to denigrate
16-
to chastise
17-
to malign
18-
to chide
19-
to castigate
20-
to reproach
21-
to upbraid
22-
to reprove
23-
to lambast
to blame
to blame
Verb
b
b
l
l
a
m
m
e
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to say or feel that someone or something is responsible for a mistake or problem

absolve
example
Example
Click on words
The teacher decided to blame the entire class for the disruption, even though only a few students were involved.
The parents were quick to blame the school when their child's grades dropped, overlooking the child's lack of effort.

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to criticize
to criticize
Verb
c
k
r
r
i
ɪ
t
t
i
ɪ
c
s
i
z
z
e

to point out the faults or weaknesses of someone or something

praise

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to condemn
to condemn
Verb
c
k
o
ə
n
n
d
d
e
ɛ
m
m
n

to strongly and publicly disapprove of something or someone

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to pan
to pan
Verb
p
p
a
æ
n
n

to give a strong, negative review or opinion about something

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to pick on
to pick on
Verb
uk flag
/pˈɪk ˈɑːn/

to keep treating someone unfairly or making unfair remarks about them

Grammatical Information:

transitive
Phrasal Status
inseparable
phrase's verb
pick
phrase's particle
on
to go on at
to go on at
Verb
uk flag
/ɡˌoʊ ˈɑːn æt/

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
Phrasal Status
inseparable
phrase's verb
go
phrase's particle
on at
to run down
to run down
Verb
uk flag
/ɹˈʌn dˈaʊn/

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
Phrasal Status
separable
phrase's verb
run
phrase's particle
down
to denounce
to denounce
Verb
d
d
e
ɪ
n
n
o
a
u
ʊ
n
n
c
s
e

to publicly express one's disapproval of something or someone

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to come down on
to come down on
Verb
uk flag
/kˈʌm dˌaʊn ˈɑːn/

to criticize or punish someone harshly

Grammatical Information:

transitive
Phrasal Status
inseparable
phrase's verb
come
phrase's particle
down on
to scold
to scold
Verb
s
s
c
k
o
l
l
d
d

to criticize in a severe and harsh manner

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to fault
to fault
Verb
f
f
au
ɔ
l
l
t
t

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

absolve

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to berate
to berate
Verb
b
b
e
ɪ
r
r
a
t
t
e

to criticize someone angrily and harshly

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to reprimand
to reprimand
Verb
r
r
e
ɛ
p
p
r
r
i
ə
m
m
a
æ
n
n
d
d

to severely criticize or scold someone for their actions or behaviors

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to rebuke
to rebuke
Verb
r
r
e
i
b
b
u
ju
k
k
e

to strongly criticize someone for their actions or words

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to denigrate
to denigrate
Verb
d
d
e
ɛ
n
n
i
ə
g
g
r
r
a
t
t
e

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to chastise
to chastise
Verb
ch
ʧ
a
æ
s
s
t
t
i
s
z
e

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to malign
to malign
Verb
m
m
a
ə
l
l
i
g
n
n

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to chide
to chide
Verb
ch
ʧ
i
d
d
e

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to castigate
to castigate
Verb
c
k
a
æ
s
s
t
t
i
ə
g
g
a
t
t
e

to strongly and harshly criticize someone or something

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to reproach
to reproach
Verb
r
r
e
i
p
p
r
r
oa
ch
ʧ

to blame someone for a mistake they made

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to upbraid
to upbraid
Verb
u
ə
p
p
b
b
r
r
ai
d
d

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to reprove
to reprove
Verb
uk flag
/ɹɪpɹˈuːv/

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive
to lambast
to lambast
Verb
l
l
a
æ
m
m
b
b
a
æ
s
s
t
t

to criticize severely, often with strong language

Grammatical Information:

transitive

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