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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chastises
Levinson’s series has long trafficked as a kind of smutty after-school special, not unlike how Ryan Murphy delves into some of the nastiest gore imaginable and then chastises us for watching.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
When a stranger chastises them for not wearing hijabs in public, Pari and Hanna can barely manage to stifle a laugh.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
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
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
When a stranger chastises them for not wearing hijabs in public, Pari and Hanna can barely manage to stifle a laugh.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastises
Verb
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Someone else scolds the offender.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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Inspired by This Is Spinal Tap, Cundieff makes quick work of lambasting the casual misogyny and homophobia ingrained in hardcore rap, but also of the media scolds unable to parse the message of the music.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
Verb
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But Telegram founder Pavel Durov said the ban needlessly punishes the over 150 million Telegram users in the country, instead of the insiders who leaked the exam materials.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
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Their primary concern is that the allocation formula punishes rec centers with large bank balances that city parks officials haven’t managed to spend on facilities upgrades or activities.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2026
Verb
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His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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How can people with such a strong attachment to faith and family vote for someone who criticizes religious leaders and defies so many ethical standards?—
Scott Warren,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
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Read's suit criticizes police for not searching the home where O'Keefe was found for blood, fingerprints or DNA evidence.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Trump blames vandalism for the troubles with the reflecting pool renovation, announces people are being arrested.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
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Jessie blames technology for toy misfortunes, getting angry at all forms of technology, even those already discarded.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Today’s successful downtowns rely on a mix of ingredients, said Steven Falk, the former city manager of Lafayette, who’s served as an interim city executive in Oakland and Richmond and who lectures at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
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Bad teams are given mechanisms to recover, not lectures about bootstraps.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chastises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastises. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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