reproach
rih-PROHCHverbMeaning to tell someone you are disappointed in what they did
Memory hook the sad APPROACH: re-PROACH. Mom approaches the broken lamp, sighs and says, “I expected better from you.” To reproach someone is to show your disappointment in them.
Grandma did not yell; she simply reproached him with a sad shake of her head.
In context Lila reproached her brother for forgetting their mother’s birthday, not angrily but in a quiet voice that made him feel even worse.
Similar scold, reprove, upbraid, blame
Opposite praise, commend