1
as in scolds
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
a cold, distant father who rarely paid attention to his children except to chastise them
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in punishes
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
the division of opinion regarding the appropriate way to chastise juvenile perpetrators of adult crimes
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Recent Examples of chastises
As Dexter questions why Batista’s death hurts so much, Brian chastises his brother for listening to Harry too much.
—
Nick Caruso, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Red Jacob chastises Colum for not healing quickly enough.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Nick Caruso, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Red Jacob chastises Colum for not healing quickly enough.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastises
Verb
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Governance scolds are appalled by the number, as is the pope.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Woke scolds and anti-woke dolts alike objected to the image of Carpenter kneeling in front of a man who appears to be using her hair as a leash.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Carrie is in love with Richard, defends him, and even punishes Laura by starving her for multiple days.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
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Obsess Over Concept-to-Execution Speed – The market punishes slow thinkers.—
Erik Huberman,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Jenkins did not respond to an interview request, but the extent of those concerns appears to have been a memo authored by an Oakland resident who frequently criticizes the commission at public forums.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
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To do so, the country is supporting mass infrastructure projects and the construction of stadiums, priorities that the movement heavily criticizes.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Washington — Democrats in the Senate are calling for an investigation and immediate removal of a video being shown at some Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, in which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blames Democrats for the government shutdown.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
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LaMalfa worries about the future of American farming and blames onerous regulations and trade policies for some of its woes.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chastises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastises. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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