castigate

play

verb cas·ti·gate \ ˈkas-tə-ˌgāt \

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

In any case, Gorka remains on the job - whatever that job is - and the president has not publicly castigated his underling for insulting a member of the cabinet.

— chicagotribune.com, "Time is up on Rex Tillerson," 24 Aug. 2017
Because last year, both Donald Trump and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders harnessed voter anger over manufacturing job losses, castigating NAFTA as the culprit and vowing to replace it.

— brent snavely, Detroit Free Press, "Auto industry fights for influence on NAFTA talks," 13 Aug. 2017
Officer Ryan Doran's attorney castigated Case Western Reserve University professors Lewis R. Katz and Michael J. Benza for suggesting Doran might have acted differently if Saif Nasser Mubarak Alameri was not from the United Arab Emirates.

— evan macdonald, cleveland.com, "Hudson police officer's lawyer criticizes Case Western professors for fatal shooting 'speculation'," 7 Aug. 2017
Each described the current moment in dramatic terms, castigating Trump and his education secretary, Betsy DeVos, as leaders whose policies threatened to worsen a system that is already structurally racist.

— jonathan m. pitts, baltimoresun.com, "NAACP remains as relevant as ever, new interim leader says," 26 July 2017
Trump has repeatedly castigated NATO allies for their dependence on the U.S. military for their defense and has at times called into question the basic U.S. security guarantees that have underpinned European stability since World War II.

— michael birnbaum, Washington Post, "NATO allies boost defense spending in the wake of Trump criticism," 28 June 2017
No wonder one outraged reporter castigated her for inflaming the public against the press.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Come back, Sean Spicer: Fiasco at White House," 27 June 2017
He's instead castigated his own intelligence community and rejected its assessment that Russia's hacking and disinformation campaign was intended to aid his candidacy.

— richard lardner, chicagotribune.com, "Senate passes sweeping sanctions bill targeting Iran, Russia," 15 June 2017
Just like feminist movement itself, the push to include women and gender analysis in history curricula is not about castigating men or about prioritizing one gender over another.

— elizabeth weingarten, The Atlantic, "Is This the End of the Crusade for Gender-Equal Curricula?," 15 June 2017

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

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First Known Use: 1606

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castigate Synonyms

Synonyms

baste, bawl out, berate, call down, scold, chastise, chew out, dress down, flay, hammer, jaw, keelhaul, lambaste (or lambast), lecture, rag, rail (at or against), rant (at), rate, ream (out), rebuke, reprimand, reproach, score, tongue-lash, upbraid

Antonyms

excuse, pardon, spare

Related Words

admonish, chide, remonstrate (with), reprove; abuse, assail, attack, bad-mouth, blame, blast, censure, condemn, criticize, crucify, denounce, dis (also diss) [slang], excoriate, fault, harangue, knock, lace (into), lash, pan, reprehend, revile, scourge, slam, vituperate; belittle, disparage, mock, put down; ridicule, scoff, scorn

Near Antonyms

approve, endorse (also indorse), sanction; extol (also extoll), laud, praise

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

play

verb

Definition of castigate for English Language Learners

: to criticize (someone) harshly

CASTIGATE Defined for Kids

castigate

play

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

Examples of castigate in a Sentence

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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

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castigate

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