chastening 1 of 3

adjective

as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment a chastening hour spent cleaning floors should discourage them from further pranks

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chastening

2 of 3

noun

as in condemnation

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Dissimilar Words

chastening

3 of 3

verb

present participle of chasten
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chastening
Adjective
Sunderland are lurking and, perhaps for the first time under Howe’s management, Newcastle are in deficit, needing a response (yet again) after a chastening night in Europe. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
Another reason this defeat felt so chastening for United was that eight of Hull’s starting line-up had come up from the Championship, a year on from surviving relegation on goal difference. — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 The discipline and economy of Rosenwald’s philanthropy also provide a chastening contrast to our current hidebound efforts to help people. — Harold Pollack, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastening
  1. punitive
  2. condemnation
  3. punishing
  4. humiliating
  5. chastisement
  6. discrediting
  7. assessment
  8. humbling
Adjective
  • The country does have a wealth tax dating back to the nineteenth century, but it is administered at the canton level and its highest marginal rate is nowhere near as punitive as the California proposal.
    — Daniel Waldenstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The Kingdom of Benin was looted of roughly 5,000 royal and religious objects in 1897 by British forces on a punitive expedition through what is now Nigeria.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of punitive
Noun
  • Saudi Arabia assembled a coalition backing the government, waging a yearslong campaign of air bombardment that brought it international condemnation over civilian deaths.
    — AHMED HATEM, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • News of his arrest quickly drew expressions of shock and disbelief from his colleagues — as well as condemnation from those who felt as though Townsend was being unfairly targeted by law enforcement because of the nature of his work.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of condemnation
Verb
  • Despite Hell Week's reputation as one of the military's most punishing endurance tests, more candidates drop out during the preceding weeks than during Hell Week.
    — James LaPorta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Filming in punishing desert temperatures, West’s team developed cooling suits that could circulate cold water through tubing worn close to the actors’ bodies.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of punishing
Verb
  • The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Definition of humiliating
Noun
  • Case appealed, headed to Idaho Supreme Court Neither side was fully satisfied by the decision — or appeared to take Scott’s chastisement to heart.
    — Rose Evans Updated December 10, Idaho Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025
  • Frail, undernourished, lacking sufficient clothing, and shoeless, Kammo is overburdened by chores and in constant fear of chastisement.
    — JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Definition of chastisement
Verb
  • The newspaper’s closure follows years of pressure As part of the Kremlin’s rampant crackdown on critics, Novaya Gazeta was fined after it was accused of discrediting Russia’s armed forces.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Instead of discrediting infringement arguments, this year generative AI company Bria launched Fibo, a tool that pays artist royalties to the creators of the original references.
    — Rae Witte, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of discrediting
Noun
  • Model improves testing boundaries Beyond exploit development, OpenAI has focused on ensuring GPT-6 Cyber respects the limits of authorized security assessments.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Factories that regularly completed Cascale’s Higg environmental assessment recorded a 22 percent drop in emissions from their operations and purchased energy over four years, the industry group reported on Thursday.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of assessment
Verb
  • Wolf-Rayet Stars Even the tiniest of stars is humbling on a human scale.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
  • At first glance, the Chiefs’ 20-3 loss at Seattle was humbling.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of humbling

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Cite this Entry

“Chastening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastening. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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