chastises

verb

present tense third-person singular of chastise
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

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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

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 The respected 13th-century Spanish rabbi Nachmanides (Ramban) chastises Lot for the atrocity of offering his daughters in place of the angels. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastises
  1. scolds
  2. punishes
  3. reprimands
  4. criticizes
  5. blames
  6. lectures
Verb
  • The audience screams in response, and Scovel scolds them again but this time with a smile.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In the beginning, Piker wanted to show young men that leftists could be fun — not just woke social-justice warriors and PC scolds.
    — Josh Eells, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolds
Verb
  • Alex Williamson is a mom in the district who thinks that the new policy is too broad and punishes the kids who ride their e-bikes safely.
    — Michele Gile, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Sehnaoui's meeting with the Israeli leader occurred as some in Lebanon have called for abolishing a 1955 law that bans dealing with Israel or having contacts with Israelis and punishes offenders with up to 10 years in jail.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of punishes
Verb
  • The emperor reprimands her for being late for the rainmaking ritual.
    — Lavender Au, The Dial, 30 June 2026
  • His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Definition of reprimands
Verb
  • Summary Digital forensics expert Brett Shavers criticizes how non-practitioners increasingly dictate digital investigation processes, prioritizing administrative metrics over field realities.
    — Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Arendt criticizes these men but never says that the Jews were responsible for their own destruction.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticizes
Verb
  • At every turn, Marissa blames herself for Milo’s disappearance, as do others, and Peter lets her bear that undue weight for most of the series without explaining his part in any of it.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The company blames a power company, which was working on the warehouse’s roof, for the blaze.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of blames
Verb
  • Those experiences deepen understanding in ways that lectures and memorization alone rarely can.
    — Lisa Schade, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Khimasia is an independent curator who currently lectures at Rutgers University.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 27 July 2026
Definition of lectures

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Cite this Entry

“Chastises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastises. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on chastises

Nglish: Translation of chastises for Spanish Speakers

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