take to task; " He admonished the child for his bad behavior"

To convince.

To disprove; to refute.

To chide to the face as blameworthy; to accuse as guilty; to censure.

To express disapprobation of; as, to reprove faults.

To rebuke with kindness and justice; to blame.

Reprovingly.

Reprover, reproval.

To condemn: to chide: to censure: ( B.) to disprove or refute.

REPROVER.

To censure directly; rebuke.

To censure authoritatively; blame; rebuke.

To blame or censure; to charge with a fault to the face; to reprehend or rebuke. See Reprobate.

To reprimand; to chide; to charge with blame or censure; to rebuke.

Do you think to reprove mere words, When the speeches of the desperate are as wind? – The Makers and Teachers of Judaism by Charles Foster Kent

A violent dispute here arose between the different warriors as to the cause of this sudden anger of the gods; some contending that it was because they were attacking a Netoppew or friend, and others with equal zeal contending that it was to reprove the slowness of their vengeance. – Hansford: A Tale of Bacon's Rebellion by St. George Tucker

All he could do is to set the front door so that it would reprove them if they weren't! – The House in Good Taste by Elsie de Wolfe

The host started up at once, and a great number of the host were in confusion, till Medb came to reprove him. – The Cattle-Raid of Cualnge (Tain Bo Cualnge) by Unknown

With what majesty of severity did Samuel reprove Saul, and Nathan David, and Elijah Ahab, and Elisha Jehoram, and Jehu Jehoshaphat! – Companion to the Bible by E. P. Barrows

For the rest, my dear boy, I have only to request that you will be frank, and I, in my turn, will promise that when I cannot assist, I will never reprove. – The Disowned, Complete by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

How- how could he profess to reprove another boy on the ground of morality, when he himself said and did things less dangerous perhaps, but equally forbidden? – Eric, or Little by Little by Frederic W. Farrar

Some mothers would have reproved her for the use of the china; some who had not quite the heart to reprove would have said they were sorry she had taken it out. – Gypsy's Cousin Joy by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps

He never did it himself and Jimmy had heard him reprove Matthews for doing it. – Death Points a Finger by Will Levinrew

Tell him- ' Enter Countess Ammiani to reprove her for endangering the hopes of the house by fatiguing herself. – Vittoria, v8 by George Meredith

As for Mrs Marrot, she was too happy to have her husband at home for a whole day to care much about trifles, nevertheless she felt it her duty to reprove him, lest the children should learn a bad lesson. – The Iron Horse by R.M. Ballantyne

And I will whisper to you that not long since I loved a terrible fellow who made me very unhappy; you will reprove me and close my mouth, and we will agree never to speak of such things." – Child of a Century, v3 by Alfred de Musset