All ten of these verbs mean speaking against someone, but they differ in three ways: how hard (a gentle warning or a furious scolding), how official (a friend’s comment or a vote by a council) and how (scolding, mocking or belittling).
Key idea
From gentlest to harshest, roughly: admonish (warn gently) → reproach (show disappointment) → rebuke and reprimand (scold sharply or formally) → chastise and berate (scold severely, angrily, at length). Censure and denounce are formal and public; deride and disparage belittle with scorn.
The ten words
Common mistake
censure (formal blame) is not censor (to remove material). admonish is the gentlest word here; berate is among the harshest.
| word | how hard | how official | how |
|---|---|---|---|
| admonish | gentle | not | warning |
| reproach | mild | not | showing disappointment |
| rebuke | sharp | either | scolding |
| reprimand | firm | official | scolding |
| chastise | severe | either | scolding, even punishing |
| berate | severe and long | not | angry scolding |
| censure | strong | official | formal blame |
| denounce | strong | public | declaring it wrong |
| deride | scornful | not | mocking |
| disparage | scornful | not | belittling |
Censure and censor look alike. To censure is to blame formally (the senate censured him). To censor is to cut out material (the letter was censored).