1
as in punished
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
chastened the child with five minutes of sitting in the corner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliated
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chastened
By now too many of us are wary of what’s being sold — sensitized by two years of deepfakes and soft slop, chastened by two decades of social media and rage-farming.
—
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
Russia and China, though chastened by their inability to protect Venezuela, retain a strong interest in propping up Havana, given Cuba’s location just 90 miles south of Key West.
—Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
But do the hierarchy want another frank agitator in Maresca, having been sufficiently chastened by Amorim’s semi-regular public declarations?
—Peter South, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Further, chastened by the backlash, the Warren Court, for the next four years with rare exceptions, maintained the status quo on a broad array of issues.
—Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Many have read Gödel and come away chastened by the limits of certainty—without concluding, as Richardson did, that the logical next step was to spend your life playing cards and paying prostitutes.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
Russia and China, though chastened by their inability to protect Venezuela, retain a strong interest in propping up Havana, given Cuba’s location just 90 miles south of Key West.
—Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
But do the hierarchy want another frank agitator in Maresca, having been sufficiently chastened by Amorim’s semi-regular public declarations?
—Peter South, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Further, chastened by the backlash, the Warren Court, for the next four years with rare exceptions, maintained the status quo on a broad array of issues.
—Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Many have read Gödel and come away chastened by the limits of certainty—without concluding, as Richardson did, that the logical next step was to spend your life playing cards and paying prostitutes.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastened
Verb
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Defensive rotations lagged, second efforts were inconsistent and the Cavaliers repeatedly punished mismatches around the rim and along the perimeter.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2026
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The captain was punished with a transfer to a town where car number plates started with the letters OK and where people from far-off districts came to get their vehicles registered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the dormitory, the classroom, and on the football team, where Negroes were allowed only to be linebackers, he was humiliated.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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Still, Friday ranked as one of the most unexpected breakdowns in international sports since Germany humiliated host Brazil, 7-1, at the 2014 soccer World Cup.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
All four men were subjected to police interrogation techniques that are now widely discredited for leading to false confessions.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
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And suddenly, along came Franklin Roosevelt, along came the Depression, along came World War II, and they were just discredited.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The team embarrassed Canada, 5-0, in the preliminary round, and swept the North American neighbor in four straight Olympic tune-ups.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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The case has deeply embarrassed the royal family, especially his mother, who suffers from an incurable lung illness and who is torn between her role as mother and future queen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Senate Republicans want to see Netflix humbled.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Few, if any, gave them a chance against the all-conquering Soviets, especially given the fact the American team had been humbled 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden just days before the Games started.—
Patrick Snell,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chastened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastened. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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