C2 English Verbs: Criticism, Soothing & Judgment

At the C2 level, verbs transcend simple actions to convey complex social, legal, and intellectual functions with immense precision. This first section focuses on the sophisticated vocabulary used to navigate interpersonal dynamics, formal disputes, and the intricate processes of argumentation.

Here you will master a powerful range of verbs for Criticism, Scolding & Rejection, such as castigate and repudiate. This is contrasted with verbs for Soothing, Reducing & Appeasing, like alleviate and placate. The list also covers the formal language of Judgment, Law & Forgiveness with terms like absolve and exonerate, and the vocabulary of Argument, Proof & Understanding.

Jump to a section:

Verbs of Criticism, Scolding & Rejection

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to abhor	The committee abhors any departure from established protocol.	/əbˈhɔː(r)/
to admonish	The chairman admonished the board for their lack of due diligence.	/ədˈmɒnɪʃ/
to berate	The director publicly berated his team for the project's catastrophic failure.	/bɪˈreɪt/
to castigate	The report castigated the government for its inept handling of the crisis.	/ˈkæstɪɡeɪt/
to censure	Parliament voted to formally censure the minister for misleading the house. Word Partners: formally censure	/ˈsenʃə(r)/
to chastise	He was chastised by the press for his extravagant lifestyle during a recession.	/tʃæˈstaɪz/
to chide	The report chided the agency for its slow response to the crisis.	/tʃaɪd/
to decry	Human rights groups publicly decried the government's actions. Word Partners: publicly decry	/dɪˈkraɪ/
to denigrate	It is unacceptable to denigrate someone based on their beliefs.	/ˈdenɪɡreɪt/
to deplore	We deplore the violence that has occurred. Word Partners: deplore the violence/situation	/dɪˈplɔː(r)/
to deride	The proposal was widely derided as impractical. Word Partners: widely/publicly deride	/dɪˈraɪd/
to desecrate	The historic monument was desecrated with graffiti.	/ˈdesɪkreɪt/
to disdain	The artist disdained the conventions of his time.	/dɪsˈdeɪn/
to disparage	He made a habit of publicly disparaging her achievements. Word Partners: publicly/unfairly disparage	/dɪˈspærɪdʒ/
to excoriate	The judge excoriated the defendant for showing no remorse.	/ɪkˈskɔːrieɪt/
to lambaste	The press lambasted the policy as misguided. Word Partners: lambaste something as	/læmˈbeɪst/
to malign	She felt she had been unfairly maligned in the press.	/məˈlaɪn/
to rebuke	The minister was sharply rebuked for his inflammatory comments. Word Partners: sharply rebuke	/rɪˈbjuːk/
to reprimand	He was formally reprimanded by his supervisor for a breach of protocol. Word Partners: formally/severely reprimand	/ˈreprɪmɑːnd/
to reproach	She reproached herself for not speaking up sooner.	/rɪˈprəʊtʃ/
to scorn	Her revolutionary ideas were initially scorned by the scientific community.	/skɔːn/
to slander	The politician sued the newspaper for attempting to slander his name.	/ˈslɑːndə(r)/
to spurn	She spurned his advances and made it clear she was not interested.	/spɜːn/
to upbraid	The manager upbraided the team for their lack of effort.	/ʌpˈbreɪd/
to vilify	The press has been accused of attempting to vilify the politician.	/ˈvɪlɪfaɪ/
to vituperate	He continued to vituperate against his political opponents in the press.	/vɪˈtjuːpəreɪt/

Verbs of Soothing, Reducing & Appeasing

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to abate	The storm finally began to abate after midnight.	/əˈbeɪt/
to alleviate	The medication helped to alleviate the pain. Word Partners: alleviate pain/suffering/poverty	/əˈliːvieɪt/
to ameliorate	Steps are being taken to ameliorate the situation. Word Partners: ameliorate the situation/conditions	/əˈmiːliəreɪt/
to appease	They made concessions in an attempt to appease the critics. Word Partners: appease critics/a crowd	/əˈpiːz/
to assuage	Nothing could assuage his guilt. Word Partners: assuage fears/concerns/guilt	/əˈsweɪdʒ/
to curtail	The new legislation is intended to curtail the power of the monopolies. Word Partners: curtail spending/power/liberties	/kɜːˈteɪl/
to debilitate	The illness left him severely debilitated.	/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/
to decimate	The population was decimated by the plague.	/ˈdesɪmeɪt/
to deflate	The initial excitement was quickly deflated by the disappointing news.	/dɪˈfleɪt/
to deplete	The country's natural resources have been seriously depleted.	/dɪˈpliːt/
to dissipate	His initial anger gradually dissipated as he listened to her explanation.	/ˈdɪsɪpeɪt/
to dwindle	The organisation's dwindling resources made its work difficult. Word Partners: dwindling resources/numbers	/ˈdwɪndl/
to enervate	The relentless heat was enervating everyone in the expedition.	/ˈenəveɪt/
to expunge	The judge ordered that the incorrect testimony be expunged from the record. Word Partners: expunge from the record	/ɪkˈspʌndʒ/
to mitigate	These measures will help to mitigate the impact of the changes. Word Partners: mitigate the impact/effects/risk	/ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/
to mollify	He tried to mollify her with a sincere apology.	/ˈmɒlɪfaɪ/
to obliterate	The explosion completely obliterated the entire building.	/əˈblɪtəreɪt/
to obviate	This new system should obviate the need for manual checks.	/ˈɒbvieɪt/
to pacify	The government struggled to pacify the region. Word Partners: pacify a crowd/region	/ˈpæsɪfaɪ/
to palliate	The treatment can only palliate the symptoms, not cure the disease. Word Partners: palliate the symptoms	/ˈpælieɪt/
to pamper	She enjoys pampering herself with spa treatments.	/ˈpæmpə(r)/
to placate	Nothing she said could placate the angry customers.	/pləˈkeɪt/
to truncate	The lecture was unfortunately truncated due to a fire alarm.	/trʌŋˈkeɪt/
to wane	As the evening wore on, my enthusiasm for the party began to wane.	/weɪn/

Verbs of Judgment, Law & Forgiveness

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to abdicate	The board was accused of abdicating its responsibility to the shareholders. Word Partners: abdicate the throne, abdicate responsibility	/ˈæbdɪkeɪt/
to abjure	He was forced to publicly abjure his former beliefs upon converting. Word Partners: abjure one's beliefs/faith	/əbˈdʒʊə(r)/
to abrogate	The new government threatened to abrogate the treaty signed by the previous administration. Word Partners: abrogate a treaty/law/agreement	/ˈæbrəɡeɪt/
to abscond	The treasurer was alleged to have absconded with the company's funds. Word Partners: abscond with the money/funds	/əbˈskɒnd/
to absolve	The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident.	/əbˈzɒlv/
to abstain	Several members abstained from voting in the final ballot.	/əbˈsteɪn/
to accede	The government finally acceded to their demands for an inquiry.	/əkˈsiːd/
to accredit	The university is accredited by the relevant authorities.	/əˈkredɪt/
to acquiesce	She reluctantly acquiesced in the decision.	/ˌækwiˈes/
to acquit	The jury acquitted her of all charges.	/əˈkwɪt/
to atone	He spent the rest of his life trying to atone for his sins. Word Partners: atone for one's sins	/əˈtəʊn/
to confiscate	Customs officials have the authority to confiscate illegal goods.	/ˈkɒnfɪskeɪt/
to convene	The chairman will convene a meeting of the board. Word Partners: convene a meeting/committee	/kənˈviːn/
to corroborate	The witness's testimony corroborated her account of the events. Word Partners: corroborate evidence/a story/an account	/kəˈrɒbəreɪt/
to exonerate	New evidence exonerated the accused.	/ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪt/
to inaugurate	The president will inaugurate the new facility tomorrow. Word Partners: inaugurate a building/system	/ɪˈnɔːɡjəreɪt/
to indemnify	The insurance policy will indemnify you against any losses incurred.	/ɪnˈdemnɪfaɪ/
to levy	The government plans to levy a tax on sugary drinks. Word Partners: levy a tax/fine	/ˈlevi/
to proscribe	The new law will proscribe the use of certain chemicals in farming.	/prəʊˈskraɪb/
to ratify	Parliament voted to ratify the treaty. Word Partners: ratify a treaty/agreement	/ˈrætɪfaɪ/
to reconcile	It is difficult to reconcile these two conflicting statements. Word Partners: reconcile differences	/ˈrekənsaɪl/
to redeem	After a poor start, he managed to redeem himself by scoring the winning goal.	/rɪˈdiːm/
to relinquish	He refused to relinquish control of the company. Word Partners: relinquish control/power	/rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ/
to remit	The judge decided to remit the fine. Word Partners: remit a sentence/fine	/rɪˈmɪt/
to renege	The government was accused of reneging on its promise to lower taxes. Word Partners: renege on a promise/deal	/rɪˈneɪɡ/
to renounce	She renounced her claim to the throne. Word Partners: renounce a claim/citizenship	/rɪˈnaʊns/
to repeal	Parliament voted to repeal the unpopular law. Word Partners: repeal a law/act	/rɪˈpiːl/
to rescind	The committee voted to rescind the decision. Word Partners: rescind a decision/order	/rɪˈsɪnd/
to revoke	His pilot's licence was revoked. Word Partners: revoke a licence/permit	/rɪˈvəʊk/
to stipulate	The contract stipulates that payment is due within 30 days.	/ˈstɪpjuleɪt/
to vindicate	The new evidence completely vindicated his earlier claims. Word Partners: vindicate someone/a claim	/ˈvɪndɪkeɪt/

Verbs of Argument, Proof & Understanding

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to allude	In her speech, she alluded to problems within the administration.	/əˈluːd/
to ascertain	Police are trying to ascertain the facts surrounding the case. Word Partners: ascertain the facts/truth	/ˌæsəˈteɪn/
to belie	His calm exterior belied his inner turmoil. Word Partners: calm exterior belies inner turmoil	/bɪˈlaɪ/
to beseech	In her final appeal, she beseeched the judge to show mercy.	/bɪˈsiːtʃ/
to construe	His silence was construed as an admission of guilt.	/kənˈstruː/
to debunk	The article sets out to debunk the myth about vitamin C. Word Partners: debunk a myth/theory	/ˌdiːˈbʌŋk/
to discern	It was difficult to discern the truth from the pervasive propaganda. Word Partners: discern the truth/a difference	/dɪˈsɜːn/
to elucidate	Could you elucidate your position on this complex matter?	/ɪˈluːsɪdeɪt/
to epitomise	Her performance epitomises the spirit of the modern athlete.	/ɪˈpɪtəmaɪz/
to err	It's better to err on the side of caution. Word Partners: err on the side of caution	/ɜː(r)/
to espouse	He continues to espouse the cause of environmental protection. Word Partners: espouse a cause/a theory	/ɪˈspaʊz/
to exemplify	Her career exemplifies the rewards of dedication and hard work.	/ɪɡˈzemplɪfaɪ/
to fathom	I cannot fathom why he would make such a decision.	/ˈfæðəm/
to heed	The government was criticised for failing to heed the warnings about the impending crisis. Word Partners: heed advice/a warning	/hiːd/
to ponder	She sat quietly, pondering the question he had asked. Word Partners: ponder a question/problem	/ˈpɒndə(r)/
to postulate	Scientists have postulated the existence of other universes.	/ˈpɒstʃəleɪt/
to refute	The minister strongly refuted the allegations in parliament.	/rɪˈfjuːt/
to ruminate	He sat alone, ruminating on the meaning of life.	/ˈruːmɪneɪt/
to scrutinise	The committee will closely scrutinise the financial proposal.	/ˈskruːtɪnaɪz/
to substantiate	The prosecution was unable to substantiate these claims. Word Partners: substantiate a claim/allegation	/səbˈstænʃieɪt/
to surmise	From the evidence available, we can only surmise what happened.	/səˈmaɪz/
to validate	The results of the second study helped to validate the theory. Word Partners: validate a theory/claim	/ˈvælɪdeɪt/

C2 English Verbs: Criticism, Soothing & Judgment

Verbs of Criticism, Scolding & Rejection

Verbs of Soothing, Reducing & Appeasing

Verbs of Judgment, Law & Forgiveness

Verbs of Argument, Proof & Understanding

First Words

Grammar Guide

Grammar Exercises

Reading Exercises

Listening Exercises

Vocabulary Exercises

Test Prep

Business English

Phrasal Verbs

Pronunciation

Games

Español / Castellano