as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
a chastising lecture on the proper care and feeding of the dog
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in scolding
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in punishing
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
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Recent Examples of chastising
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Unfortunately, instead of chastising their petulant colleagues, nearly every other Democratic politician has decided to join them in thrashing about on the floor.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
There is inevitably going to be an onslaught of thinkpieces and TikTok rants dedicated to chastising this casting.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 12 Feb. 2026
Close stopped play, chastising her.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
Kolvet also pushed back against comments online, chastising the president.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Equally concerning to democracy defenders is its rhetoric chastising European democracies and apparent willingness to elevate political parties in Europe that reject human rights.
—Shelley Inglis, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Just the same, this was some unsavory stuff from a team that began the season in Brazil with Reid chastising his players for their effort in an opening loss to the Chargers.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Dec. 2025
Twenty-three Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting yes on the resolution chastising Garcia, who set up his chief of staff as the sole Democrat on the primary ballot to replace him in a deep-blue district.
—Melinda Yao, NBC news, 22 Nov. 2025
Verb
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, the newest major candidate to enter the race, hewed toward partisan middle ground, chastising leaders in Sacramento for allowing the state budget to balloon without tangible improvements to housing affordability, homelessness and public schools.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Unfortunately, instead of chastising their petulant colleagues, nearly every other Democratic politician has decided to join them in thrashing about on the floor.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
There is inevitably going to be an onslaught of thinkpieces and TikTok rants dedicated to chastising this casting.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 12 Feb. 2026
Close stopped play, chastising her.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
Kolvet also pushed back against comments online, chastising the president.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Equally concerning to democracy defenders is its rhetoric chastising European democracies and apparent willingness to elevate political parties in Europe that reject human rights.
—Shelley Inglis, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Just the same, this was some unsavory stuff from a team that began the season in Brazil with Reid chastising his players for their effort in an opening loss to the Chargers.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Dec. 2025
Twenty-three Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting yes on the resolution chastising Garcia, who set up his chief of staff as the sole Democrat on the primary ballot to replace him in a deep-blue district.
—Melinda Yao, NBC news, 22 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastising
Adjective
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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
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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
Verb
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First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump has talked about making Canada the 51st state and has applied punishing tariffs on certain key sectors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
This debate is not about punishing success.—
Jordan Sekulow,
Boston Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Therefore, now is not the time to be lecturing our partners and allies.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
-
That includes lecturing, building curriculum, pursuing research and speaking about university policy.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Indeed, Ye didn’t say much of anything during the two-hour concert beyond a number of reprimanding comments directed at his stage crew.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rory McIlroy was similarly vocal, criticizing the league, Saudi Arabian money, the players, and CEO Norman.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor took a swipe at fellow Justice Brett Kavanaugh at an event on April 7, criticizing her bench-mate for his recent opinion in an immigration case.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That year, the family of a patient who died filed a lawsuit blaming him for failing to diagnose her lung cancer.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
9 Apr. 2026
-
There are ways of pointing this out without explicitly blaming her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chastising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastising. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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