chastise

verb

chastised; chastising

transitive verb

1
: to censure severely : castigate
The coach chastised the players for their mistakes.
2
: to inflict punishment on (as by whipping)
3
archaic : chasten sense 2
chastisement
(ˌ)cha-ˈstīz-mənt How to pronounce chastise (audio)
 also  ˈchas-təz-
noun
chastiser noun

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There are many words to express the infliction of a penalty in return for wrongdoing—for example, chastise, castigate, chasten, correct, discipline, and punish. Of these, chastise, chasten, and castigate share similar origins as well as similar meanings. Chastise developed as an altered form of chasten, which comes from the Anglo-French chastier, which has its roots in the Latin verb castigare, which also gave English the word castigate.

Choose the Right Synonym for chastise

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 chastise in a Sentence

The waiter was chastised for forgetting the customer's order. The coach is always chastising the players for minor mistakes.
Recent Examples on the Web Tundra King, a member of the Planning and Zoning Board, chastised Poliakoff and some of her colleagues who wanted to see documentation of the dedication of the cemetery. Gerard Albert, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 Former President Donald Trump, in an lengthy and falsehood-riddled speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, spent some of his parting words chastising California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 25 Feb. 2024 Houston and coach Lovie Smith were chastised by some for the last-minute victory instead of securing the top overall selection. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024 In 2023, a government inspector general chastised DHS over the use of adtech, saying that the department did not have adequate privacy safeguards in place and recommending that the data stop being used until policies were drawn. Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024 Effort should not be a problem, not after defenders got chastised for their lackadaisical play on two touchdown runs allowed in the NFC Championship Game. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024 Knowles’s decision rankled many prominent members of the arbitration profession, who saw it as gratuitously chastising an otherwise well-meaning group. Jesse Barron, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Otherwise, little will change in regard to DEI programs, Dimon said, while simultaneously chastising how some diversity initiatives are run. Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 24 Jan. 2024 In 1951, the municipal sanitary engineer chastised citizens for dumping their garbage in their neighborhoods and encouraged them to use the dump. Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chastise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English chastisen, borrowed from Anglo-French chastiser, extension, with a suffix of uncertain origin, of chastier, castier "to correct by punishment, discipline" — more at chasten

Note: As has long been noted, the formation of this verb in Anglo-French is peculiar. The date is too early to expect a derivative with -iser -ize in Anglo-French or English, and there is no verb *chastir that could have produced a stem chastiss-.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of chastise was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near chastise

Cite this Entry

“Chastise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chastise. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chastise

verb
chas·​tise (ˈ)chas-ˈtīz How to pronounce chastise (audio)
chastised; chastising
1
: to punish severely (as by whipping)
2
: to criticize harshly
chastisement
(ˈ)chas-ˈtīz-mənt How to pronounce chastise (audio)
 also  ˈchas-təz-
noun
chastiser noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chastise

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