Meaning & use
chastise
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
To tell someone off severely because they did something wrong, usually with a stern or moral tone.
Grammar: Takes an object: the coach chastised the team.
Patterns
- chastise someone
- chastise someone for something
- chastise someone for doing something
The principal chastised the students for leaving litter all over the field.
She chastised herself for forgetting the deadline.
Critics chastised the company for ignoring safety warnings.
verbtransitiveold-fashionedformal
To punish someone physically, especially as an old form of discipline.
Grammar: Takes an object and is now rare: the master chastised the servant.
Patterns
- chastise someone
In earlier centuries, a schoolmaster might chastise a pupil with a cane.
The old text describes how children were chastised for disobedience.
Word forms
| third person singular | chastises |
|---|---|
| past tense | chastised |
| past participle | chastised |
| -ing form | chastising |
Common combinations
- publicly chastise
- The mayor publicly chastised the council for wasting money.
- chastise someone for failing
- He chastised his assistant for failing to check the figures.
- harshly chastised
- The referee was harshly chastised in the press after the match.
- chastise yourself
- Don't chastise yourself over one small mistake.
- be chastised by the media
- The minister was chastised by the media for his careless remarks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scold
- Scold is more everyday and is often used for a parent speaking sharply to a child, while chastise sounds more formal and serious.
- rebuke
- Rebuke is just as formal but usually describes a single sharp, official criticism, whereas chastise can suggest a longer or more moral lecture.
- reprimand
- Reprimand fits workplaces and institutions, where someone in authority formally criticizes a person, and it often implies an official record.
- berate
- Berate suggests angry, drawn-out shouting, so it is harsher and less controlled than chastise.
Opposites
Word family
- chastisement noun
- the act of scolding or punishing someone severely
- chastised adjective
- feeling ashamed after being criticized
- chastening adjective
- making you feel humbled, as in a chastening experience
- chasten verb
- to make someone more humble or cautious through a hard lesson
Commonly confused: chastise or chastity? chastise or chasten?
chastise vs chastity
Chastity is a state of sexual purity or abstinence. It comes from a different root and has no link to scolding.
chastise vs chasten
Chasten means to humble someone through a difficult experience, while chastise means to criticize or punish them directly.
Practice
After the match, the coach ____ the players for their careless passing, speaking sharply in front of the whole squad.
Choose one answer.
Chastised means criticized sternly, which fits sharp words about careless passing. Congratulated and consoled express praise or comfort, and chartered means hired or officially established.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chastise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.