as in punishment
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
the loss of his father's trust was the harshest castigation that the boy could have possibly received for having told the lie
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Recent Examples of castigation
The standoff centered on the now-former assistant attorney general’s public and internal castigation of pediatric gender medicine.
—
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 31 Jan. 2026
His reverence for hip-hop led to a poignant self-reflection on whether his new approach would be the subject of castigation among the hip-hop faithful.
—Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Apart from its castigation of non-fossil energy, the strategy document in some ways departs from the Biden administration more in style than substance.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Links with nonprofit group The recent castigations from progressive Democrats were driven in part by the Opportunity Caucus’s ties to One Main Street.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
Like legions of dreamers before him, McGuirk started on film and TV sets as a PA, an often thankless job where random castigations from members of the cast or crew can be par for the course.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 31 Jan. 2026
His reverence for hip-hop led to a poignant self-reflection on whether his new approach would be the subject of castigation among the hip-hop faithful.
—Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Apart from its castigation of non-fossil energy, the strategy document in some ways departs from the Biden administration more in style than substance.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Links with nonprofit group The recent castigations from progressive Democrats were driven in part by the Opportunity Caucus’s ties to One Main Street.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
Like legions of dreamers before him, McGuirk started on film and TV sets as a PA, an often thankless job where random castigations from members of the cast or crew can be par for the course.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigation
Noun
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Senegal 's parliament has approved a new bill that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the largely Muslim West African nation, the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
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Iranian authorities enforce laws like compulsory dress codes through Draconian forms of punishment — harassment, arrests, imprisonment, and violence.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The White Stripes frontman may have incurred the wrath of Swifties with his comments in a recent interview.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
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But questions swirled about if even that would survive nature’s wrath for two-and-a-half centuries.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Each team picked up a penalty in the aftermath.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
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The French icon made his last save during seven minutes of second-half stoppage time, denying Dallas forward Petar Musa’s volley near the penalty spot with a diving two-handed parry to preserve the victory and his 26th shutout in 68 regular season appearances.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Castigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigation. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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