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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Recent Examples of chastening
Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
The American suffered a chastening 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Świątek in the Wimbledon final eight weeks ago, the first time in the Open Era that a women’s player has failed to win a single game in the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Noun
But the feel-good factor evaporated following a chastening 3-0 opening-weekend loss away to promoted Sunderland.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
The American suffered a chastening 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Świątek in the Wimbledon final eight weeks ago, the first time in the Open Era that a women’s player has failed to win a single game in the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastening
Adjective
-
In August, a jury in Florida found the automaker partly liable for a deadly 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system, ordering the company to pay $243 million in punitive and compensatory damages.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
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Unlike the punitive approach used in that case, the USC proposal offers new funding and preferential treatment for universities that comply.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Daniel Day-Lewis is legendary for going to punishing lengths to deliver authentic performances.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Composer Deantoni Parks’s score sustains and amplifies the tension, heightening the creeping pretense of water rushing forward and the punishing breathlessness of struggling back upstream.—
Anne Reeve,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This announcement, humiliating the involved member, is harmful.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Astin’s remarks come after a formal condemnation of Norwood from SAG-AFTRA, as well as outcry from dozens of actors, including Emily Blunt, Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage and more.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
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Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s latest tour de force is an absurdist, boldly surprising condemnation of his homeland.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There would be accusations of race manipulation, an online mob discrediting Wallace’s win as undeserved, and an angry Joe Gibbs Racing organization, which would now realize Hamlin puts another team’s interests ahead of their own.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Further discrediting itself, Thursday’s writeup includes a marketing pitch for the SquareX platform.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Watching a mother turtle haul herself ashore under a canopy of stars to lay her eggs is a truly primal and humbling sight.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
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Learning anything new as an adult is humbling.—
Sarah Stockdale,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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According to figures from a housing assessment released this April, the median house value in Fayetteville has grown 275% in the last two decades, and the median gross rent has increased 78%.—
Juan Cordoba,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
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Yet once someone had suggested the inherent instability in a relationship between writers, there seemed to be no way to defuse the assessment.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Chastening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastening. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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