reproachful

[ ri-prohch-fuhl ]

adjective

1. full of or expressing reproach or censure:

   a reproachful look.

2. Obsolete. deserving reproach; shameful.

reproachful

/ rɪˈprəʊtʃfʊl /

adjective

1. full of or expressing reproach
2. archaic.
   deserving of reproach; disgraceful

Derived Forms

• reˈproachfully, adverb
• reˈproachfulness, noun

Other Words From

• re·proach·ful·ly adverb
• re·proach·ful·ness noun
• un·re·proach·ful adjective
• un·re·proach·ful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reproachful¹

First recorded in 1540–50; reproach + -ful

Example Sentences

Richmond’s history as a Confederate capital and Anthony’s reproachful lyrics have influenced listeners’ hot takes on the song and on Anthony himself, categorizing the red-bearded musician as a conservative too.

From Los Angeles Times

The sister and daughter she plays in “Showing Up” may be a more naturalistic, tamped-down figure, but with her reproachful silences and occasional bursts of fury, she illuminates a different variant of the same condition.

From Los Angeles Times

Seidl, of course, ensures that we notice, arranging these figures in silently reproachful formations at the edges of his meticulously composed tableaux.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s an unmistakably reproachful tone to the unseen correspondent’s voice when she asks one blond boy, “Do you think you’ll be playing with firecrackers anymore?”

From Los Angeles Times

In fact, during that same discussion, hooks was critical of “Orange Is the New Black,” the show that made Cox famous, and reproachful of the way the actress presented herself.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• defamatory
• degrading
• demeaning
• disparaging
• sarcastic
• slanderous
• unflattering