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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Example Sentences
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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
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
Verb
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Someone else scolds the offender.
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Inspired by This Is Spinal Tap, Cundieff makes quick work of lambasting the casual misogyny and homophobia ingrained in hardcore rap, but also of the media scolds unable to parse the message of the music.
Verb
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But Telegram founder Pavel Durov said the ban needlessly punishes the over 150 million Telegram users in the country, instead of the insiders who leaked the exam materials.
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Their primary concern is that the allocation formula punishes rec centers with large bank balances that city parks officials haven’t managed to spend on facilities upgrades or activities.
Verb
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The emperor reprimands her for being late for the rainmaking ritual.
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His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.
Verb
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The couple has been targeted by a group called Boycott Divest Zabludowicz, which criticizes them for supporting a pro-Israel lobby.
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That letter, referenced in the Brandeis Center complaint, criticizes the APA for failing to discipline a former division president, Lara Sheehi, for various incendiary comments about Zionism.
Verb
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The nonprofit blames the lack of progress on government red tape and diminishing federal funding to provide subsidies and incentives.
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Industry, like tobacco companies, turns a blind eye to the problem, continues its mass production to achieve maximum profit and blames the consumer for bad choices.
Verb
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Today’s successful downtowns rely on a mix of ingredients, said Steven Falk, the former city manager of Lafayette, who’s served as an interim city executive in Oakland and Richmond and who lectures at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
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Bad teams are given mechanisms to recover, not lectures about bootstraps.
Cite this Entry
“Chastises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastises. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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