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
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
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Recent Examples of chastening
George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Apr. 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.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
Last Saturday’s chastening 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City was a case in point.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Apr. 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
-
The United States last year also blocked imports from a major South Korean salt farm accused of using slave labor, becoming the first trade partner to take punitive action against a decadeslong problem on salt farms in islands off the country’s southwest coast.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
At the same time, human-rights organizations reported repression inside the El Rodeo I prison, where foreign political detainees launched a protest that authorities allegedly responded to with tear gas and punitive measures.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ye has drawn widespread condemnation for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The immigration roundups and deaths of Mexican migrants have prompted condemnation, notes of protests and calls for investigation from the Sheinbaum administration.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Homelessness is punishing in itself without the fear of being fined or arrested simply for surviving outdoors.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Hathaway hurls herself into that punishing sequence with violent physical force and emotional rawness.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
These clips often use humor and pop‑culture aesthetics—even LEGO‑style animations—to show Iran’s late supreme leader outsmarting and humiliating his American adversaries.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
-
My fear is that poor implementation and, above all, a failure to take accountability seriously will end up discrediting good ideas.—
Rachel Canter,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In April 2024, Hayden agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty for violating conflict of interest law by allowing his office to issue an official press statement aimed at discrediting his primary opponent, Arroyo, days before the election.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
What’s the point of building formative assessments into a course if they’re just handed off to an LLM?—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
-
So there is a risk assessment that folks are doing in real time.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hearing from people across the east coast who know and value Coco Market is both humbling and deeply meaningful.—
Corey Heyman,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
-
An asteroid this big, getting this close to Earth, happens only once every few thousand years, making it truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a celestial encounter both dramatic and deeply humbling.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chastening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastening. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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