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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Authorities sent Iranians daily text messages warning that any protester would be severely punished for helping the enemy.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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Mathys Tel set up Richarlison for two excellent opportunities that were not converted in the first half, but the Brazil international punished some poor Liverpool defending in the dying stages to earn Spurs’ first point under Igor Tudor.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At one point in his teenage years, Diaz was publicly humiliated by the football team who forcefully shaved his curly hair.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Election experts widely discredited the review as shoddy and partisan.—
Benjamin Swasey,
NPR,
9 Mar. 2026
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After storms and flooding across Spain, Poland and the United States in late 2024, Moscow worked to claim that support for Ukraine had left countries vulnerable, stoked grievances in NATO countries and discredited Western democracies.—
Michael Chertoff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These killings—and dozens of other attempts and near misses in many countries—have disgusted decent people and embarrassed even many who hold otherwise anti-Jewish views.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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The Americans were left to root for the same team that embarrassed them, and that team delivered.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Petzold had arrived arrogant and entitled; confronted by the technical ability and imagination of his peers, he was humbled, then stultified.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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One of the revelations of this war is just how many people outside Dubai are delighting in the thought that the city-state might be humbled.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chastened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastened. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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