castigate

verb

cas·​ti·​gate ˈka-stə-ˌgāt 

castigated; castigating

transitive verb

: to subject to severe punishment, reproof, or criticism

The judge castigated the lawyers for their lack of preparation.

castigation

ˌka-stə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

castigator

ˈka-stə-ˌgā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

Castigate has a synonym in chastise: both verbs mean "to punish or to censure (someone)." They both also happen to come from the same Latin root, the verb castīgāre, meaning "to discipline for a fault or lapse; reprove, censure." Castīgāre is also the source of chasten, which can also mean "to discipline by punishment" but more commonly means "to subdue or make humble," as in "chastened by my foolish error." Castigate is the newest of the three verbs; current evidence dates it to the early 17th century, while chasten dates to the early 16th century, and chastise has been found in use as far back as the 14th.

Synonyms

• scold
• reprimand
• criticize
• lecture
• blame

Choose the Right Synonym for castigate

punish, chastise, castigate, chasten, discipline, correct mean to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing.

punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

Examples of castigate in a Sentence

The author castigated the prime minister as an ineffective leader.

castigated him for his constant tardiness

Recent Examples on the Web

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony also castigated the deputies for mishandling the 14 calls Mary made to BSO in the year leading up to her death. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025

That certainty hasn’t wavered even as some senior GOP appropriators castigate Vought’s actions. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025

Chris Wright castigated European energy generated from wind farms as too costly. —Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025

The court gave the green light for those sweeping immigration operations to continue in Los Angeles — a decision that was praised by the White House and castigated by immigrant rights advocates. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin castīgātus, past participle of castīgāre "to discipline for a fault or lapse, reprove, censure," perhaps from *casti-, stem of *castis "reprimand" (going back to Indo-European *ḱHs-ti-, whence also Sanskrit śiṣṭi- "instruction") + *-ig-, going back to Indo-European -h₂ǵ-, zero-grade of *h₂eǵ- "drive, impel, lead" — more at agent

Note: This etymology follows G. Dunkel, "Latin verbs in -igāre and -īgāre," 125 Jahre Indogermanistik in Graz (Graz: Leykam, 2000), pp. 87-99. According to the older conventional explanation, the initial element is the adjective castus "free from, untouched (by the thing specified), pure, not sexually promiscuous" (see chaste), but semantically this is a poor fit, and does not clearly account for the long ī. On the other hand, Dunkel's hypothesis would mean that Indo-European *ḱeHs- shows up in Latin only in this presumed i-stem derivative and nowhere else, unless castus itself can be attributed to the same etymon—but again that does not fit well semantically ("instruct, reprove" > "pure"?). See also the note at chaste.

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for castigate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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Kids Definition

castigate

verb

cas·​ti·​gate ˈkas-tə-ˌgāt 

castigated; castigating

: to punish, scold, or criticize harshly

castigation

ˌkas-tə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

castigator

ˈkas-tə-ˌgāt-ər 

noun