rebuke
n. countablen. a strong and serious statement that shows you do not approve of someone's behavior. It is a formal way of telling someone they have done something wrong.
n. an expression of sharp, formal disapproval or criticism. Often follows a specific action or failure and is delivered by an authority figure.
The manager gave him a sharp rebuke for being late.
The committee's report was a stinging rebuke to the government's handling of the crisis.
The diplomat's public statement served as a stern rebuke to the neighboring country's recent violation of the long-standing peace treaty.
From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish busk (“grove”), from Proto-Germanic buskaz (“bush”); equivalent to re- + bush.
Often paired with the adjectives 'sharp', 'stern', or 'stinging'.