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
as in condemnation
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chastening
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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
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.
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George Caulkin,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
His reign has had notable highs but chastening lows.
—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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
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Woods is seeking compensatory, punitive, and statutory damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
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The Thunder traded guards Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, respectively, shedding their contracts to try to duck under the NBA’s punitive second-apron threshold.
Noun
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The attack, which was captured on video and shared on social media, led to condemnation of the perpetrator and an outpouring of support for the food vendor, who was identified by her family members as Arabelia Martinez, 62.
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Families facing difficult diagnoses deserve compassion, not condemnation.
Verb
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Meanwhile, Bobby is soft-launching his relationship, which leads to Chane punishing Bobby by firing his restaurant partner, the Goose to Bobby’s Maverick.
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France has banned public alcohol consumption as Europe swelters under a punishing heat dome.
Verb
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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.
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The autocrat delights in humiliating so many people, not least tech billionaires, including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, who once opposed him.
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.
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Frail, undernourished, lacking sufficient clothing, and shoeless, Kammo is overburdened by chores and in constant fear of chastisement.
Verb
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Kiryl Pazniak, 49, who hosted a popular political show on YouTube, has been convicted on the charges of discrediting Belarus and forming an extremist organization, the group said — accusations widely used by authorities to stifle critical voices.
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Defense attorney Tom Mesereau was an expert at discrediting witnesses, subjects told the filmmakers, but certain key witnesses, like Janet Arvizo, struggled to connect with the jury on their own.
Noun
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An initial no-obligation consultation to discuss your debt, explain your options, and get an assessment of how Larson Tax Relief can help.
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This starts with 300 life cycle assessment (LCA) datasets, all of which are fully disaggregated.
Verb
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But what Connecticut got was the top golfer in the world, at his very best at times, yet bitten in the end by the humbling nature of the most humbling of games.
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For Shen, the response has been both humbling and deeply personal.
Cite this Entry
“Chastening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastening. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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