reproach

[ri-prohch] /rɪˈproʊtʃ/
verb (used with object)
1.
to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame; censure.
2.
to upbraid.
3.
to be a cause of blame or discredit to.
noun
4.
blame or censure conveyed in disapproval:
a term of reproach.
5.
an expression of upbraiding, censure, or reproof.
6.
disgrace, discredit, or blame incurred:
to bring reproach on one's family.
7.
a cause or occasion of disgrace or discredit.
8.
the Reproaches, Also called Improperia. Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church. a series of antiphons sung in church on Good Friday, consisting of words addressed by Christ to His people, reminding them of His mercies and of their ingratitude.
9.
an object of scorn or contempt.
Origin
1375-1425; (noun) late Middle English reproche < Old French, derivative of reprochier to reproach < Vulgar Latin *repropiāre to bring back near, equivalent to Latin re- re- + Late Latin -propiāre (derivative of Latin prope near; see approach); (v.) late Middle English reprochen < Old French reprochier
Related forms
reproachable, adjective
reproachableness, noun
reproachably, adverb
reproacher, noun
reproachingly, adverb
unreproachable, adjective
unreproachableness, noun
unreproachably, adverb
unreproached, adjective
unreproaching, adjective
Synonyms
1. chide, abuse, reprimand, reprehend, condemn, criticize. Reproach, rebuke, scold, reprove imply calling one to account for something done or said. Reproach is censure (often about personal matters, obligations, and the like) given with an attitude of faultfinding and some intention of shaming: to reproach one for neglect. Rebuke suggests sharp or stern reproof given usually formally or officially and approaching reprimand in severity: He rebuked him strongly for laxness in his accounts. Scold suggests that censure is given at some length, harshly, and more or less abusively; it implies irritation, which may be with or without justification: to scold a boy for jaywalking. A word of related meaning, but suggesting a milder or more kindly censure, often intended to correct the fault in question, is reprove : to reprove one for inattention. 3. shame. 4, 5. reprehension, rebuke, criticism, remonstrance, condemnation, disapproval. 6. dishonor, shame, disrepute, odium, obloquy, opprobrium, ignominy, infamy, scorn.
Antonyms
1, 4, 5. praise. 6. honor.
Examples from the web for reproach
  • He seemed to take our moral failings for granted and, perhaps as a result, favored lively argument over reproach or condemnation.
  • She greeted a good choice with silence, a bad one with loud reproach.
  • Judged that way, this guy is spectacular and beyond reproach.
  • We reproach the eighteenth century with its artificiality.
  • The presence of the tall ghostly figure, moving slowly through the halls, he took as a reproach to himself.
  • Now that she has finally made the leap, however, it is obvious that the architect's timing is beyond reproach.
  • Mark recounts these experiences without reproach and with insight well beyond his years.
  • Not all of the names that surfaced after the wreck of the financial system deserve reproach.
  • She said nothing as he spoke, expressed no protest or reproach.
  • Financial transactions with insiders must be beyond reproach.
British Dictionary definitions for reproach

reproach

/rɪˈprəʊtʃ/
verb (transitive)
1.
to impute blame to (a person) for an action or fault; rebuke
2.
(archaic) to bring disgrace or shame upon
noun
3.
the act of reproaching
4.
rebuke or censure; reproof: words of reproach
5.
disgrace or shame: to bring reproach upon one's family
6.
something that causes or merits blame, rebuke, or disgrace
7.
above reproach, beyond reproach, perfect; beyond criticism
Derived Forms
reproachable, adjective
reproachableness, noun
reproachably, adverb
reproacher, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Old French reprochier, from Latin re- + prope near
Word Origin and History for reproach
n.

mid-14c., "a rebuke, blame, censure;" also "object of scorn or contempt;" c.1400, as "disgrace, state of disgrace," from Old French reproche "blame, shame, disgrace" (12c.), from reprochier "to blame, bring up against," said by some French etymologists to be from Vulgar Latin *repropiare, from Latin re- "opposite of" + prope "near" (see propinquity), with suggestions of "bring near to" as in modern "get in (someone's) face." But others would have it from *reprobicare, from Latin reprobus/reprobare (see reprobate (adj.)).

v.

mid-14c., reprochen "to rebuke, reproach," from Anglo-French repruchier, Old French reprochier "upbraid, blame, accuse, speak ill of," from reproche (see reproach (n.)). Related: Reproached; reproaching.