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
But the bill’s sponsors, Democratic Reps. William Lindstedt and Michael Carter, removed that provision this evening after they were castigated by progressive groups and consumer advocates for limiting users’ legal remedies.
—
Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
That meeting ended with a reporter, and eventually Vice President JD Vance, castigating Zelensky for not wearing a suit or properly thanking the United States for footing the bill for Ukraine’s defense of their territory.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 18 Aug. 2025
The big headline from the rescissions effort is that the government will cut off funds to PBS and NPR, which Republicans have long castigated as having a liberal agenda.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 18 July 2025
Each regime, from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic, claimed to uphold human rights and castigated its predecessors as torturers, only to ratchet up the incarceration of political opponents.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for castigate
Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
That meeting ended with a reporter, and eventually Vice President JD Vance, castigating Zelensky for not wearing a suit or properly thanking the United States for footing the bill for Ukraine’s defense of their territory.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 18 Aug. 2025
The big headline from the rescissions effort is that the government will cut off funds to PBS and NPR, which Republicans have long castigated as having a liberal agenda.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 18 July 2025
Each regime, from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic, claimed to uphold human rights and castigated its predecessors as torturers, only to ratchet up the incarceration of political opponents.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for castigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigate
Verb
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Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the hands of editor Richard Mettler, some of those fragments serve montages that interlace how the tribes prepare to defend themselves with the way Jalabzeen readies himself to attack.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
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Having attacked the edge of the six-yard box, Rodon has to back-pedal and meet the ball, again, wide of the goal.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Freeport-McMoRan — The copper and gold miner gained more than 1% after UBS upgraded Freeport to buy from neutral, saying it has been overly punished after declaring force majeure at its Grasberg mine in Indonesia following a deadly collapse.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
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That bill also included a provision that would punish states that provide health coverage to undocumented immigrants.—
Franco Ordoñez,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There is a form of right-of-center liberalism that is content with status hierarchies, that is very unhappy with anything that makes people feel reprimanded.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
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Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened networks to reprimand Kimmel.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some council members have criticized the proposal, citing a lack of communication and calling the move premature.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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So far, the league’s response has been not to fix the issue but, instead, to levy fines against players and coaches who criticize refs.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Clarke and his business partner sold photographs and films, wrote and lectured about their adventures, and began treasure hunting.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Sep. 2025
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Since exiting Dries Van Noten a few years ago, Scallon has been working as an independent consultant and mentor in fashion communications strategy, also lecturing occasionally and sharing his views about creative content on podcasts.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some of their struggles can be blamed on a tough slate of defenses.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Real leadership requires a basic understanding of facts and a desire to do more than just blame others.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kirk followed Guerrero the next inning, slamming the first of his two homers over the outfield wall.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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As comedians from Bill Burr to Kevin Hart were slammed for performing at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, Dave Chappelle said the Middle Eastern nation is actually more suitable for stand-up than the United States.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Castigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigate. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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