1
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
castigated him for his constant tardiness
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacked
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
a newspaper editorial castigating the city council for approving the project in the first place
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in punished
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of castigated
Chris Wright castigated European energy generated from wind farms as too costly.
—
Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The court gave the green light for those sweeping immigration operations to continue in Los Angeles — a decision that was praised by the White House and castigated by immigrant rights advocates.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Payne also castigated the department for failing to provide any of the documents that lawmakers had requested on June 3.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 30 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
Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The court gave the green light for those sweeping immigration operations to continue in Los Angeles — a decision that was praised by the White House and castigated by immigrant rights advocates.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Payne also castigated the department for failing to provide any of the documents that lawmakers had requested on June 3.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 30 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigated
Verb
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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
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The heartwarming video, shared on Saturday by @inboxunknown15, shows the pup sitting head down, facing the wall, looking sad and ashamed after being scolded by his owner’s girlfriend.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At least four people were killed and eight were injured after a gunman attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints service in Michigan on Sunday morning, police said.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
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Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy and Odesa were also attacked, President Voloydmyr Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There was an attempt to topple the state, the rule of law, and it was punished.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Sep. 2025
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The incident was caught on camera Thursday at an immigration court in New York City – fueling outrage as more families across the US get punished after showing up to their immigration court hearings.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 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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Vance lectured Zelenskyy and argued the wartime leader hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military assistance the United States has given to his country.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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And in a different year, with a different quarterback, the outcome was the same early in Monday night’s first quarter as Higgins pivoted to his back-shoulder and slammed to the turf with a 19-yard catch.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
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Tatiana slammed the horn and floored the gas pedal, roaring into her backyard.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
29 Sep. 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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The college was being reprimanded amid allegations of antisemitism on campus and activism led in part by Mahmoud Khalil, a foreign student organizing against Israel’s war in Gaza.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In September 2024, Musk again criticized Albanese’s government, responding to a post reporting that Australia was considering fining social media platforms for failing to prevent misinformation.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
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The outlet said many criticized his behavior, labeling it racist, sexist, or out of touch.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With roles reversed, Democrats could be in line to get blamed for a new shutdown.—
Benjamin Siegel,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
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Twins officials blamed bad weather and various other factors for poor April crowds.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Castigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigated. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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