castigates

verb

present tense third-person singular of castigate
1
as in scolds
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings castigated him for his constant tardiness

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2
as in attacks
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 punishes
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigates
  1. scolds
  2. attacks
  3. punishes
  4. criticizes
  5. slams
  6. lectures
  7. excoriates
  8. reprimands
Verb
  • Some intergenerational sparring ensues, as Kevin scolds Arthur for his more outré boomer comments, and Arthur in turn sneers at his grandson’s millennial lameness.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The audience screams in response, and Scovel scolds them again but this time with a smile.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolds
Verb
  • Some of the most popular entries include SCP-173, a concrete statue that attacks anyone who breaks eye contact, and SCP-682, a supremely intelligent reptile that can adapt to any environment and rapidly heal any injury.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Johnson, a longevity-maxxing advocate, announced in July that he was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis, a chronic inflammatory condition where the immune system attacks the cells within the stomach lining.
    — Renée Onque, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of attacks
Verb
  • The shortfall that punishes success The system can also make serving more children harder, not easier.
    — Tim Grailer, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The market already punishes models that behave in unpredictable or unauthorized ways.
    — Kevin Breuninger,CJ Haddad, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of punishes
Verb
  • The piece also criticizes media and academic discussions that portray Latino men and Latinas as politically opposed blocs.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The Bolsonaro reaction Flávio Bolsonaro, by contrast, criticizes Brazilian democratic institutions – particularly the Supreme Court and the electoral system – as obstacles to restoring the country’s political order.
    — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of criticizes
Verb
  • There are currently more than 85,000 customers without power across the Northeast, including New York City and Connecticut, as an intensifying early-season nor’easter slams the region with strong wind, soaking rain and coastal flooding.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Not thunder, not cobwebs, not a door that slams itself for union reasons.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of slams
Verb
  • Often, the pincher is in the company of an elder who lectures to her.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Professors structure lectures with an awareness of how a sentence might circulate online.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of lectures
Verb
  • Smullen’s campaign launched an anti-Constantino website that excoriates him for, among many other things, his past registration as a Democrat.
    — Michael Hill, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • Woodcutters sets forth the musings of a narrator sitting in an armchair at a dinner party who excoriates the literary awards establishments of his native land (and by extension all lands that are host to a robust bourgeoisie).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Definition of excoriates
Verb
  • Being a fly on the wall is precisely what Hard Knocks makes viewers feel like in the moment when Head Coach Mike Macdonald reprimands linebacker Derick Hall for getting too close to a quarterback.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The emperor reprimands her for being late for the rainmaking ritual.
    — Lavender Au, The Dial, 30 June 2026
Definition of reprimands
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Castigates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigates. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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