chastise

verb chas·tise \ (ˌ)chas-ˈtīz \

Definition of chastise

chastised; chastising

transitive verb

1 :to inflict punishment on (as by whipping)

2 :to censure severely :castigate

The coach chastised the players for their mistakes.

3 archaic :chasten 2

—

chastisement

play \(ˌ)chas-ˈtīz-mənt also ˈchas-təz-\ noun

—

chastiser

play \(ˌ)chas-ˈtī-zər\ noun

See chastise defined for English-language learners

See chastise defined for kids

chastise was our Word of the Day on 02/21/2010. Hear the podcast!

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 of chastise from the Web

Durant isn't the first to chastise the Pacers for the move.

— scott horner, Indianapolis Star, "Kevin Durant: Pacers gave away Paul George," 27 Aug. 2017
Even a positive review of the program in PC World in 1998 chastised its transfer rate of 9 MB per minute.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "In the 90s Your Spare VHS Could Be a Backup Hard Drive," 14 Aug. 2017
Before lawmakers adjourned, there was fevered speculation of a potential putsch to bring down the premier and May was forced to chastise ministers for leaking details of their discussions following a series of stories attacking Hammond.

— alex morales, Bloomberg.com, "May Takes ‘Back Seat’ as U.K. Cabinet Squabbles Over Brexit," 31 July 2017
On Tuesday, the governor’s chief inspector general, Eric Miller, wrote the commission and Mayor Myra Taylor, chastising them for not heeding the oversight board’s advice to pick a skilled outsider.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "New Opa-locka boss says he wasn’t a witness in kickback case. Records say otherwise.," 26 July 2017
Related stories from Star-Telegram Emotional Jerry Jones chastises media over Lucky Whitehead flak Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis found not guilty in domestic violence case CB Jourdan Lewis (personal): Expected to join team Wednesday.

— clarence e. hill jr., star-telegram, "Cowboys, Jerry crack down on discipline but still get it wrong," 25 July 2017
Alan Rupe, the attorney representing the districts suing the state, chastised the Legislature for the funding level in the bill.

— hunter woodall, kansascity, "School districts call for more funding as state defends spending to Kansas Supreme Court," 18 July 2017
Will Trump directly chastise him for Russia's interference in last year's elections?

— doug criss, CNN, "5 things for Friday, July 7: G20, Russian spying, ethics watchdog, gonorrhea," 7 July 2017
Shaub also pushed for the administration to publicly reveal which aides were receiving ethics waivers and chastised House Republicans for not investing ethics inquiries further.

— lily herman, Teen Vogue, "Walter Shaub, Director of Office of Government Ethics, Just Resigned," 6 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of chastise

Middle English chastisen, alteration of chasten — see chasten

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

chastise Synonyms

Synonyms

baste, bawl out, berate, call down, castigate, scold, 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 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

CHASTISE Defined for English Language Learners

chastise

verb

Definition of chastise for English Language Learners

: to criticize (someone) harshly for doing something wrong

CHASTISE Defined for Kids

chastise

verb chas·tise \ cha-ˈstīz \

Definition of chastise for Students

chastised; chastising

1 :to punish severely (as by whipping)

2 :to criticize harshly

The boy was chastised for his behavior.

—

chastisement

\-mənt\ noun

Learn More about chastise

See words that rhyme with chastise Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chastise Spanish Central: Translation of chastise Nglish: Translation of chastise for Spanish speakers

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chastise

Definition of chastise

chastisement

chastiser

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chastise was our Word of the Day on 02/21/2010. Hear the podcast!

Examples of chastise in a Sentence

Recent Examples of chastise from the Web

Origin and Etymology of chastise

chastise Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of chastise

CHASTISE Defined for English Language Learners

chastise

Definition of chastise for English Language Learners

CHASTISE Defined for Kids

chastise

Definition of chastise for Students

chastisement

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