this is what comes up when I check on rebuke in the OSX dictionary:

THE RIGHT WORD

All of these verbs mean to criticize or express disapproval, but which one you use depends on how upset you are. If you want to go easy on someone, you can admonish or reproach, both of which indicate mild and sometimes kindly disapproval. To admonish is to warn or counsel someone, usually because a duty has been forgotten or might be forgotten in the future (: admonish her about leaving the key in the lock), while reproach also suggests mild criticism aimed at correcting a fault or pattern of misbehavior ( | he was reproved for his lack of attention in class).
If you want to express your disapproval formally or in public, use censure or reprimand. You can censure someone either directly or indirectly (: the judge censured the lawyer for violating courtroom procedures; a newspaper article that censured “deadbeat dads”), while reprimand suggests a direct confrontation (| reprimanded by his parole officer for leaving town without reporting his whereabouts). If you're irritated enough to want to express your disapproval quite harshly and at some length, you can scold (: to scold a child for jaywalking). Rebuke is the harshest word of this group, meaning to criticize sharply or sternly, often in the midst of some action (: rebuke a carpenter for walking across an icy roof).

formerly known as etaoin...