1
as in scolds
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
castigated him for his constant tardiness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigates
Verb
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Stumbling on to this ruse, Antoine’s friend and manager Armand (Gilles Lellouche) immediately can tell Suzanne is a fake and scolds her for exploiting his friend’s grief.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
12 May 2026 -
Or tie scolds to the ducking stool again.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dennis waits until Mallory leaves to go on a bike ride, and then attacks her on the path.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Nadal was diagnosed with Mueller-Weiss syndrome early in his career, a rare degenerative condition that attacks the navicular bone in the foot.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Every major technology shift punishes leaders who mistake size for safety.—
Brian Solis,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Because what most directly punishes American physicians for seeking mental health care sits on a state medical licensure application.—
Frances Mei Hardin,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Read's suit criticizes police for not searching the home where O'Keefe was found for blood, fingerprints or DNA evidence.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
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The suit also criticizes ChatGPT’s propensity to agree with users, arguing that the service’s sycophancy can lead users to develop dangerous psychological attachment to the platform and cause users to pay money to unlock more generous usage quotas.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
Verb
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From Bay Area poetry slams to national television, Frak has built a career around quick wit, improvisation, and sharp punchlines.—
Tylan Jennings,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
Justin Crawford slams into the wall for an INCREDIBLE catch!—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Bad teams are given mechanisms to recover, not lectures about bootstraps.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
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When not writing, May frequently lectures on the politics and policies of mass incarceration for university classes, academic conferences, and online events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
Verb
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His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Castigates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigates. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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