1
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
castigated him for his constant tardiness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
a newspaper editorial castigating the city council for approving the project in the first place
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to punish
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
a judge who believes in castigating criminals to the full extent of the law
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of castigate
Defense attorney Brian Stevens said Ullrich was the victim of a tragic upbringing and addiction, while Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Romito and Special Prosecutor William Bruce had castigated the parents for leaving their son to die.
—
Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
Gauguin was castigated for failing to shake off European pictorial traditions, and for appropriating non-European traditions.
—Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
But in a world where Chrome is castigated as the worst offending mainstream browser for privacy and tracking, this will land flat.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Germans especially were floored when Mr. Vance – knowing Germany holds national elections this week – chose his Munich speech to castigate them for not accommodating the country’s far-right parties, widely seen as harboring neo-Nazi elements.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for castigate
Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
Gauguin was castigated for failing to shake off European pictorial traditions, and for appropriating non-European traditions.
—Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
But in a world where Chrome is castigated as the worst offending mainstream browser for privacy and tracking, this will land flat.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Germans especially were floored when Mr. Vance – knowing Germany holds national elections this week – chose his Munich speech to castigate them for not accommodating the country’s far-right parties, widely seen as harboring neo-Nazi elements.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for castigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigate
Verb
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Whether this comes off as a joke or as an invitation for scolding (spoken or unspoken, loving or otherwise) depends entirely on the other Muslims in the room.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
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But there was a time Emily Deschanel, who played the meticulous forensic anthropologist through 12 seasons of Bones, got scolded for being just that — and the memory still makes the star emotional.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Huckabee also visited the Christian community of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday after a church was reportedly attacked and vandalized by Israeli settlers.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
22 July 2025
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Amorim needs a mobile centre forward capable of attacking open space at speed and offering a threat in quick transition.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
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The 22-year-old Shelton was utterly dominant in his first two matches of the tournament, punishing opponents with blistering serves and thunderous ground strokes.—
Jacob Steinberg,
Baltimore Sun,
26 July 2025
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The Boston Federal Reserve is already testing CBDC programs, and the examples of abuse are everywhere: China's social credit system, which punishes citizens for political dissent, and Canada freezing of truckers' bank accounts in 2022 for protesting vaccine mandates.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
Verb
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Officer Juan Gonzalez, a 12-year Miami Gardens police veteran, described being reprimanded for speaking to other Hispanic officers at a crime scene.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
16 July 2025
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Ruben is sailing across the Atlantic with them (which Duncan rightfully reprimands him for later – like really, who brings a small child across the ocean in a sailboat?).—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Many airlines have long relied on aging computer systems, and the aviation industry has been criticized for failing to modernize swiftly.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
22 July 2025
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McKinney ruffled some feathers by publicly criticizing former Giants’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale in his final season with the Giants.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
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The type of boy to break up fights at school and lecture his fellow classmates, Steeno added.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
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The designer published his autobiography, continued to lecture about fashion.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Trump has blamed India's high tariffs on imports for the trade deficit.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
30 July 2025
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Garza blamed this in part on the county’s failure to provide legal representation at bail hearings for defendants.—
Skye Seipp,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Verb
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Police slammed one of the women to the ground and swiftly ushered her away in handcuffs.—
Ella McCarthy,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Phase 4 In the fourth stage, the body attempts to slam the brakes on starvation by lowering the metabolic rate - like switching on low-power mode to conserve energy.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Castigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigate. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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