Synonyms of chasten

chasten

verb

ˈchā-sᵊn 

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

• punish
• chastise
• penalize
• discipline
• correct
• fine
• criticize
• sentence
• castigate
• convict
• assess
• impose
• condemn
• levy
• mulct
• rebuke
• reprove
• dock
• denounce
• reprimand
• charge
• wreak
• damn
• keelhaul

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• spare
• excuse
• pardon
• forfeit
• get off
• release
• ransom
• vindicate
• commute
• acquit
• absolve
• exonerate
• exculpate
• reprieve

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• humiliate
• discredit
• embarrass
• humble
• shame
• confuse
• degrade
• dishonor
• disgrace
• demean
• debase
• abase
• insult
• rattle
• criticize
• take down
• mortify
• cheapen
• diminish
• smirch
• disconcert
• foul
• minimize
• ridicule
• lower
• sink
• disparage
• confound
• discomfit
• belittle
• condemn
• castigate
• discountenance
• detract
• faze
• fluster
• abash
• decry
• malign
• depreciate
• libel
• defame
• slander
• discount
• write off
• affront
• nonplus
• defile
• denounce
• censure
• put down
• reprehend
• cry down
• bad-mouth
• execrate
• reprobate
• damn

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exalt
• deify
• commend
• aggrandize
• recognize
• elevate
• honor
• cite
• cheer
• acknowledge
• praise
• applaud
• celebrate
• congratulate
• canonize
• salute
• boast
• decorate
• extol
• laud
• compliment
• eulogize
• hail
• tout
• acclaim
• extoll
• highlight
• ennoble
• magnify
• glorify
• enthrone
• play up
• promote
• dignify
• lift
• fete
• raise
• advance
• enshrine
• spotlight
• uplift
• boost
• fête
• upgrade
• idealize
• romanticize
• ensky

Synonym Chooser

How is the word chasten distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of chasten are castigate, chastise, correct, discipline, and punish. While all these words mean "to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing," chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

When would castigate be a good substitute for chasten?

The synonyms castigate and chasten are sometimes interchangeable, but castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

When is chastise a more appropriate choice than chasten?

The meanings of chastise and chasten largely overlap; however, chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

When could correct be used to replace chasten?

The words correct and chasten can be used in similar contexts, but correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

When might discipline be a better fit than chasten?

The words discipline and chasten are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

In what contexts can punish take the place of chasten?

Although the words punish and chasten have much in common, punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

Examples of chasten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet Coll’s chastening new book about the events leading up to the Iraq War, in 2003, shows just how often the agency was flying blind. —The New Yorker, 12 June 2024

The French in 1789-94 were the first modern nation forced to choose between political universalism and the realization of populist or utopian goals, and what happened to them has generally chastened their successors. —Patrice Higonnet, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2012

This was supposed, after all, to be a chastening week for German soccer: Most expected Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga’s two great crisis clubs, to be exposed in the Champions League semifinals. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 May 2024

At the very least, these conditions should be enough to chasten the press critics who suggest that the answers are obvious. —Nancy Gibbs, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024

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