castigate

verb cas·ti·gate \ ˈkas-tə-ˌgāt \

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of castigate

castigated; castigating

transitive verb

: to subject to severe punishment, reproof, or criticism

The judge castigated the lawyers for their lack of preparation.

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castigation

play \ˌkas-tə-ˈgā-shən\ noun

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castigator

play \ˈkas-tə-ˌgā-tər\ noun

See castigate defined for English-language learners

See castigate defined for kids

castigate was our Word of the Day on 05/17/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of castigate in a Sentence

The author castigated the prime minister as an ineffective leader.
castigated him for his constant tardiness

Recent Examples of castigate from the Web

To this point, Trump has found ways to renew the Iran agreement while still castigating it as a disaster.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump to Announce Decision on Iran Deal Tuesday," 7 May 2018
Conservative outlets like Breitbart are praising Trump after castigating him for not securing wall funding in the omnibus.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump is following through on his ‘America First’ mantra. Why are some people so surprised?," 5 Apr. 2018
First create a credible incredible fear in immigrant communities, castigate them, call them rapists and murders.

— Fox News, "Ingraham: All but forgotten American tragedies," 28 Mar. 2018
When Wylie's colleagues failed to produce a memo explaining their work to Neugebauer, Nix castigated them over email.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Consultants for Trump misused Facebook data of millions," 18 Mar. 2018
However, the 27-year-old failed to put in a performance worthy of being first choice left-back, and many Spurs fans took to social media to castigate the the England international.

— SI.com, "Spurs Left-Back Danny Rose Gets Hammering on Twitter After Bournemouth Display," 12 Mar. 2018
With breathtaking chutzpah, the Russian embassy in London castigated Britain for failing to protect Russian citizens on its soil—citing Mr Litvinenko’s death.

— The Economist, "Conspiracy theories from, and about, Russia," 14 Apr. 2018
Fearful of their position, American companies refuse to publicly castigate Chinese trade practices, exasperating U.S. trade officials who complain to TIME of hearing executives’ complaints in private but only platitudes in public.

— Time, "Beneath the Glitz of a Ford Automobile Launch in China, Fears of a Trade War Remain," 12 Apr. 2018
Spranger, in public statements last year, castigated the news media in general for being unfair to her.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Macomb County clerk Karen Spranger brings her conspiracy claims before a federal judge," 27 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'castigate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Castigate has a synonym in chastise - both verbs mean to punish or to censure someone. Fittingly, both words derive from the same root: the Latin castigare, formed from the words for "pure" (castus) and "to drive" (agere). (Castus also gave us the noun caste, meaning "social class or rank.") Another verb derived from castigare is chasten, which can also mean "to discipline by punishment" but more commonly means "to subdue or make humble" (as in "chastened by his foolish error"). Castigate is the youngest of the three verbs in English, dating from the early 17th century, some three centuries after chasten and chastise.

Origin and Etymology of castigate

Latin castigatus, past participle of castigare — more at chasten

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1606

in the meaning defined above

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castigate Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

CASTIGATE Defined for English Language Learners

castigate

verb

Definition of castigate for English Language Learners

: to criticize (someone) harshly

CASTIGATE Defined for Kids

castigate

verb cas·ti·gate \ ˈka-stə-ˌgāt \

Definition of castigate for Students

castigated; castigating

: to punish or criticize harshly

Learn More about castigate

See words that rhyme with castigate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for castigate Spanish Central: Translation of castigate Nglish: Translation of castigate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of castigate for Arabic speakers

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castigate

Definition of castigate

castigation

castigator

castigate was our Word of the Day on 05/17/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of castigate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of castigate from the Web

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Origin and Etymology of castigate

castigate Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of castigate

CASTIGATE Defined for English Language Learners

castigate

Definition of castigate for English Language Learners

CASTIGATE Defined for Kids

castigate

Definition of castigate for Students

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