Make Your Point: REPROVE

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pronounce REPROVE:

"ruh PROOV."

Or, if you like to sound precise, "ree PROOV."

connect this word to others:

(Source)

It's perfect comedy: have a game show, have the contestants say ridiculous things, and have Kenan Thompson constantly reprove them. (Here's the skit. It's very crude!)

As we check out the word reprove, see if you can recall a very close synonym:

To reb__e people is to scold them harshly or point out how bad they are.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Reprove" can just mean "to prove again," as in "That website keeps making me prove and reprove that I'm not a robot."

But "reprove" has another meaning that we use more often. It's basically the opposite of "approve." It traces back to a Latin word mean "to reject, to condemn, to disapprove," with bits that literally mean "to prove unworthy."

When you reprove someone, you tell them they did something bad, or tell them that you're disappointed by what they did.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Verb, the transitive kind: "They reproved her;" "He was reproved for turning in lazy, inaccurate papers."

Other forms:

The other verb forms are "reproved" and "reproving."

The adjective, "reprovable," and its opposite, "irreprovable" are both pretty rare.

When you need a noun, you can use "reprove" itself, as in "Their bad judgment drew reprove from the public." Or, you can use "reproof" or "reproval." All three forms are recognized in dictionaries.

how to use it:

Pick the ultra-formal, semi-common word "reprove" when you want to strike a very serious tone.

Talk about someone reproving someone else, often for having done something bad. "He reproved the students for showing up late to class." "The host reproved the contestant for shouting out answers without buzzing in."

Often we get figurative and say that someone gives a reproving look, uses a reproving voice, or shakes a reproving finger at someone. Here's J. K. Rowling: "'Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn't tell you,' said Slughorn, wagging a reproving, sugar-covered finger."

examples:

"'I'm surprised at you for spreading rumors, William,' she reproved him."
— Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, 1958

"Those NSA employees who handed over their logins should of course be reproved at the very least for their actions."
— Tim Worstall, Forbes, 8 November 2013

has this page helped you understand "reprove"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "reprove" without saying "chide" or "scold."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) (did something improper), drawing a reproving look from (someone else)."

Example 1: "Ignoring their guests, he starting scrolling through his phone, drawing a reproving look from his mother."

Example 2: "Cass jumped excitedly at the prospect, but Penelope threw her a reproving look."
— Maryrose Wood, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, 2009

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

This month, our game is "Sarah In Dip a Day!"

I'll give you some song lyrics that contain a sophisticated word or phrase—but I'll swap it out for what you might hear if you didn't know that word or phrase.

Your job is to find the spot where the lyrics quit making sense, then reinterpret those words as the artist actually wrote them.

Here's an example:

"I'm on a one-way street,
My fall from grace complete,
But I feel that there's a hazard hanging over me.
But I take away the feeling that I can't see,
And now you say to me
Sarah in dip a day."
—Amaranthe

Here, the meaning breaks down at "Sarah in dip a day," which should read "Serendipity."

Try this one today:

"Wind escorts the day outside.
Clouds of sheep's wool lying eyes the moon.
For soon the moment that we meet,
Phantom trees that whisper down the street
Relay our message of love."
—The Association

If you need some clues, highlight the hidden white text below.
1. The part that needs to be changed is..."lying eyes"
2. The term that's being sung means..."treat like an adored celebrity"
To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. The opposite of REPROVE is

A. ENJOY.
B. PRAISE.
C. EMPHASIZE.

2. I cast a reproving look at _____.

A. the shopper who'd just cut in line
B. the teenagers waiting patiently for their class to begin
C. the child's stream of soap bubbles drifting on the breeze

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REPROVE

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