castigated

verb

past tense of castigate
1
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings castigated him for his constant tardiness

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2
as in attacked
to criticize harshly and usually publicly a newspaper editorial castigating the city council for approving the project in the first place

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in punished
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime a judge who believes in castigating criminals to the full extent of the law

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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 castigated In a sizzling dissent for the court's three liberals, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson castigated the majority for diminishing not just individual religious rights, but the power of Congress to legislate. — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 23 June 2026 Beatty's legal team on Friday castigated the Kennedy Center for leaving the tarp up. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 20 June 2026 Opponents Venezuela were booed and castigated, not least during a penalty shootout to decide the winners after a 0-0 friendly draw. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 10 June 2026 Labor advocacy groups also castigated the governor’s decision Friday afternoon. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 29 May 2026 His memorable scene from the pic saw Jerjerrof being castigated by Darth Vader for the slow construction of the second Death Star. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 May 2026 Just days before the child’s death, Supervisor Arenas had castigated agency officials for concealing a November status report from the state that listed unresolved concerns. — Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026 Trump castigated the court for not spelling out what happens to the tens of billions of dollars the government has already collected. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026 Also, lawmakers repeatedly castigated the insurance executives for trying to pad their profits by denying or delaying approval of the care doctors say their patients need. — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigated
  1. scolded
  2. attacked
  3. punished
  4. lectured
  5. slammed
  6. reprimanded
  7. criticized
  8. blamed
Verb
  • The curious boys climbed onto the roof of their home for a better look, but climbed back down when scolded by their grandmother.
    — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Kirson remembered, adding that, minutes later, the show’s production team scolded her.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Israel attacked the country in February.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Yemen’s Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi shipping last month, attacked Saudi oil tankers this week, and are threatening to impose tolls, adding urgency to securing the waterway.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • Restrictions have extended outside the classroom, with some teachers being fired or punished for criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk after his assassination.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This is in part because of the psychological need to believe in a just world, where good people are rewarded and bad people are punished.
    — Jen Cole Wright, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of punished
Verb
  • None of that made it into the discussion before Wilder lectured the girls about how to think.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Parsipur taught at Brown University in the early 2000s and lectured internationally throughout the ensuing decades.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 13 July 2026
Definition of lectured
Verb
  • Earlier this week, a piece of a SpaceX rocket joined the ranks of space rocks and other wayward spacecraft that have slammed into the moon and become permanent fixtures of our celestial neighbor's surface.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the American Television Alliance (ATVA), a lobbying group composed of cable, satellite, telco operators and independent programmers, slammed the FCC’s vote on the TV ownership cap.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of slammed
Verb
  • Rangel, who relinquished his position as chair of the House Ways and Means Committee amid the inquiry, was eventually censured, the first time a congressman had been thusly reprimanded in public in almost three decades.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
  • She was vilified and reprimanded for ACTUALLY taking a courageous stance against men in women’s sports and spaces.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • Chief Critic Democratic Party consultant and former President Barack Obama’s ex-campaign adviser David Axelrod criticized the White House’s decision to use the old plane as a decoy with journalists on board.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Saturday Night actress also opened up about how she’s been criticized over the years for her relationships.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • His bid to bring China into the WTO also came under fire from officials who blamed him for making too many concessions – some even accused him of selling out the country.
    — CNN Staff, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Craig has blamed Flanagan for a lack of oversight and accountability, allegations that Flanagan rejects.
    — Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of blamed

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Cite this Entry

“Castigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigated. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of castigated for Spanish Speakers

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