1
as in to punish
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
chastened the child with five minutes of sitting in the corner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the unexpected loss to a second-rate player really chastened the tournament's top-seeded tennis star
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chasten
Many have read Gödel and come away chastened by the limits of certainty—without concluding, as Richardson did, that the logical next step was to spend your life playing cards and paying prostitutes.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
But Lippmann’s studies of psychology had chastened him.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
Two months later, his side suffered a 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, followed by a chastening 5-0 loss away to Chelsea in May.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Market shakeouts are about testing risk tolerances, forcing a rethink of unexamined premises and, at times, chastening the arrogant.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chasten
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
But Lippmann’s studies of psychology had chastened him.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
Two months later, his side suffered a 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, followed by a chastening 5-0 loss away to Chelsea in May.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Market shakeouts are about testing risk tolerances, forcing a rethink of unexamined premises and, at times, chastening the arrogant.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chasten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chasten
Verb
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And groups are also arguing that the department could utilize the new rules to coerce or punish organizations, as well as state and city government’s, over policy disagreements.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Professors who punish students for defending America are authoritarian.—
Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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France had been humiliated in 1871 by Prussia in a foolish war of its own making, and Dreyfus, accused of passing military secrets to the Germans, was a convenient scapegoat in a time of national malaise.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Leno later said he felt humiliated by Kimmel’s jibe.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lysenko leveraged his newfound power to suppress Soviet geneticists’ opinions and to discredit and imprison them.—
D. Scott Schmid,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
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The lawsuit also claims taxpayer funds were improperly used to pay for an investigation by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, which fueled calls for Corpus’s ouster, and describes the probe as a pretext to discredit her administration.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Good, because there is one Duck — Justin Herbert — who will happily embarrass them.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
18 Sep. 2025
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The team that embarrassed the Rams at SoFi Stadium in November.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chasten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chasten. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
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