To upbraid someone means to scold them harshly or criticize them severely for something they've done wrong. The criticism comes with real force and disappointment, delivered with sharp, direct language. When a coach upbraids a player for repeatedly ignoring instructions, or when a parent upbraids a child for a serious breach of trust, the words carry weight and intensity.

The word suggests criticism delivered with authority and genuine emotion. If you show up two hours late to help a friend move without explanation, they might upbraid you for being thoughtless and unreliable. A teacher might upbraid students who disrupted an important assembly. The person doing the upbraiding expresses genuine frustration or anger, not merely pointing out the problem.

Upbraid is an old-fashioned word you'll mostly encounter in books rather than everyday conversation. Modern speakers might say “chewed out” or “gave them an earful” instead. But upbraid captures something specific: criticism delivered with both heat and a sense that the person being scolded should have known better.