I wonder if we can say rebuke something or not? According to the dictionaries, it seems that we can only rebuke someone but not something. I want to say something like "rebuke greed" in a formal text. I am confused.
The definition from Oxford Dictionary:
Rebuke = the act of speaking severely to somebody because they have done
something wrong
The definition from Cambridge Dictionary:
Rebuke = to criticize someone strongly because you disapprove of what
the person has said or done
The definition from Longman Dictionary:
Rebuke = to speak to someone severely about something they have done wrong
The sentence, I want to use rebuke in:
They rebuke his greed and present ethical arguments to argue why he
should be punished.
In case this usage is wrong, could you please introduce me another suitable substitute? Thank you
Best Answer
The use of rebuke with inanimate nouns is archaic:
It is used in this way in the Bible:
It seems that this use has survived in modern writing, but it is very rare and can be characterised as literary. Here are some instances:
One alternative would be the suggestion made by Trae. Another alternative would be to use transitive synonyms of rebuke which would accept an inanimate noun as their object, such as reprove which can mean: