as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
a chastening hour spent cleaning floors should discourage them from further pranks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in punishing
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
chastened the child with five minutes of sitting in the corner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliating
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
as in condemnation
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chastening
Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Market shakeouts are about testing risk tolerances, forcing a rethink of unexamined premises and, at times, chastening the arrogant.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
Elsewhere, despite the success of USMNT players in the league phase, this week was chastening — Milan, Juventus and Celtic’s eliminations knocked out half a dozen of their stars.
—Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
What needs to change if the round of 16 is to bring more than just chastening elimination?
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Since a chastening defeat to Coco Gauff in Toronto in 2022, Sabalenka has completely remade her serve, eliminating the sprees of double faults that used to pepper her matches.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Jackson’s side needed it in what has been a chastening start to his second season Down Under.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
That was an equally chastening reality for their Qatari owners.
—Phil Hay, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
This defeat on Tyneside was a chastening reminder of the scale of the task facing Pereira — three horrible goals conceded, attacking cohesion severely lacking and the chances Wolves did create squandered.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
Two months later, his side suffered a 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, followed by a chastening 5-0 loss away to Chelsea in May.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Market shakeouts are about testing risk tolerances, forcing a rethink of unexamined premises and, at times, chastening the arrogant.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
Elsewhere, despite the success of USMNT players in the league phase, this week was chastening — Milan, Juventus and Celtic’s eliminations knocked out half a dozen of their stars.
—Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
What needs to change if the round of 16 is to bring more than just chastening elimination?
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Since a chastening defeat to Coco Gauff in Toronto in 2022, Sabalenka has completely remade her serve, eliminating the sprees of double faults that used to pepper her matches.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Jackson’s side needed it in what has been a chastening start to his second season Down Under.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
That was an equally chastening reality for their Qatari owners.
—Phil Hay, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
This defeat on Tyneside was a chastening reminder of the scale of the task facing Pereira — three horrible goals conceded, attacking cohesion severely lacking and the chances Wolves did create squandered.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastening
Adjective
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But advocates for immigrant rights say the community arrests – from raids at factories and restaurants to surprise detentions at ICE check-ins – are punitive measures aimed at instilling fear in blue states and cities.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
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In addition to a punitive award of $200 million, the jury said Tesla must also pay $43 million of a total $129 million in compensatory damages for the crash, bringing the total borne by the company to $243 million.—
Bernard Condon,
Fortune,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In an interview with The Athletic last month, Diggins described the feeling of finishing one of the most punishing endurance tests in all of sports.—
Zack Pierce,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
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But punishing that behavior means bringing the hammer down on Vietnam, hardly a step that would win Washington strategic support in Hanoi, where a new leadership dominated by public security and military officials actually sees eye to eye with China in some areas.—
Evan A. Feigenbaum,
Forbes,
5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Trump's decision to deploy the military drew sharp condemnation from Democrats across the country, who said the move raises civil-liberties concerns at a time when crime in D.C. is dropping.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
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The school, which is not affiliated with Lincoln County Schools, prompted community outrage and public condemnation from school leaders.—
Evan Moore
August 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Poor data quality can provide wrong models and alerts, discrediting predictive monitoring.—
Hrushikesh Deshmukh,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Johnson released new guidelines for reporting gifts Wednesday after discrediting the investigation.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Rather than relying on arbitrary age cutoffs, organizations should prioritize functional assessments, adaptability and decision-making acuity.—
Rob Robinson,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Without a tree risk assessment, an insurance agency can potentially dispute the damage, according to Purcell.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But another source of revenue is emerging alongside the imposition and dutiful payment of these tariffs—catching tariff cheaters.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Aug. 2025
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The imposition of a 39% tariff on Swiss exports to the US has been greeted with shock, despair and much ire in Switzerland – the main newspaper NZZ greeting the move as ‘absurd’.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As hundreds of National Guard troops deployed on Tuesday in the nation's capital, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said homeless people in Washington, D.C., who refuse to move into shelters will face prosecution or fines.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
13 Aug. 2025
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In June, the city passed a new ordinance allowing year-round enforcement of fireworks regulations and fines of up to $10,000 for shooting them off near schools, parks and critical infrastructure.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chastening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastening. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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