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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 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
-
Stumbling on to this ruse, Antoine’s friend and manager Armand (Gilles Lellouche) immediately can tell Suzanne is a fake and scolds her for exploiting his friend’s grief.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
-
Or tie scolds to the ducking stool again.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Every major technology shift punishes leaders who mistake size for safety.—
Brian Solis,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Because what most directly punishes American physicians for seeking mental health care sits on a state medical licensure application.—
Frances Mei Hardin,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The audit also criticizes the city for not trying to boost compliance by issuing fines.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
OpenAI memo criticizes Anthropic watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Davenport blames it on the business’s contraction.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
Faye, disappointed to see that the safe has no money, blames Rue for the deception and screams to wake her boyfriend.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Bad teams are given mechanisms to recover, not lectures about bootstraps.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
When not writing, May frequently lectures on the politics and policies of mass incarceration for university classes, academic conferences, and online events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chastises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastises. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
