What does reprove mean?
Word: Reprove
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Reprove means to tell someone, usually gently and seriously, that they have done something wrong.
Synonyms: rebuke
Antonyms: commend
How do you spell reprove?
Syllables: re - prove
Tricky part: The oo sound is spelt with a single o and a silent e, so oo itself is the slip to avoid.
Watch out for: reproove, reproov, repruve
Memory tip: Move uses the same o and silent e for that sound.
Reprove in a sentence
Example 1: Mrs Das reproved the boys with a single raised eyebrow.
Example 2: Grandma will gently reprove you if you waste food.
Example 3: Nobody reproved Mira for her honest mistake.
Fun Fact
The noun from this verb is reproof, which ends in an f, though the verb has a v.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word reprove as used in the sentence:
The coach was quick to reprove Kunal for arriving late at practice.
a) criticise
b) scold
c) correct
d) praise
Show answer
d) praise. To praise someone is to speak well of what they did, the opposite of finding fault.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
r_p_ove
a) e,r
b) i,r
c) e,l
d) a,r
Show answer
a) e,r. The opening re is spelt with an e, and an r follows the p.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word.
It is kinder to pevrero a child quietly than to shout across the playground.
a) approve
b) reprove
c) improve
d) remove
Show answer
b) reprove. Two r letters appear, and no other option has a pair of them.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. exquisite 2. temperment 3. courteous 4. reprove
a) to find fault with someone kindly
b) a person's usual nature
c) extremely beautiful and delicate
d) polite and respectful
Show answer
b) a person's usual nature. Temperament has an a in the middle that is easily lost in speech.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If your sister reproves you for leaving the tap running, she thinks that you ____.
a) should take a long bath
b) must buy a new tap
c) did well to fill the bucket
d) ought to have turned it off
Show answer
d) ought to have turned it off
2. Which remark is a reproof?
a) Beena, could you pass the glue, please?
b) Beena, your bus leaves at four today.
c) Beena, you know better than to interrupt.
d) Beena, that was a lovely piece of writing.
Show answer
c) Beena, you know better than to interrupt.
