Approach vs. Reproach

Approach

Approach as a verb is:

·         to come near something or someone. Eg – The car is approaching the petrol station.

·         to speak to someone regarding a problem, solution or request. Eg – I approached our seniors to help organize the program.

·         Deal with a problem in a particular manner. Eg – we have to approach him with all the facts in detail.

As a noun, approach can be used in the following ways –

·         A method of dealing with a problem. Eg. –

§  The approach they followed to solve water problem was unique.

§  You need to follow a methodical approach to succeed in your exams.

§  There are many ways to approach this problem.

Here are a few more examples –

1. The approach road from my home to office is not good.

2. The left side approaches the theatre.

The word originated from the latin word “appropiare” which means “draw near”. There are many approaches to use this word in our sentences!

Reproach –

Reproach seems to be similar to approach and rhyming with it, but there is no relation between both the words.

Reproach as a verb means to disapprove someone’s actions or be disappointed in what someone does.

§  He reproached her for not doing well in exams.

Reproach as a noun is the expression of disapproval for an action.

§  His very existence in this world is a reproach to us.

As you can see, reproach is a totally different word and definitely NOT an antonym of approach.

Here are few more examples of reproach –

§  He reproached her for going to the party all alone.

§  The court reproaches the lawyers who do not obey judge’s orders.

§  I expected them to reproach her for joining our team, so that’s okay!

Reproach has originated from the old French “reprochier” based on the meaning ‘bring back close’.  

Here is a sentence that uses both these words –

§  You can approach her for your problem, but the way she talks could be reproaching for you!

§  The guy gave a look of reproach to his sister for approaching a stranger to buy movie tickets.