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 Some of the Democrats who were castigated Friday night at the democratic socialist, progressive rally received an overwhelmingly positive response on Saturday at a get-out-the-vote rally at the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigated
  1. scolded
  2. attacked
  3. punished
  4. lectured
  5. slammed
  6. reprimanded
  7. criticized
  8. blamed
Verb
  • In fact, during testing, the handheld triggered nostalgic memories of playing Final Fantasy Legend and Mario Land 2 on long car rides to my grandparents' house, but without the eye strain and being scolded for playing in the dark as the sun set.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
  • For over a year, the White House has scolded and threatened the Smithsonian.
    — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • But the university’s recent actions in a lawsuit filed by a former student who was attacked on campus during that period appear at odds with that commitment.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Not long after Bungalow 8 opened, the World Trade Center was attacked.
    — Derek C. Blasberg, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • The Brewers eventually turned to first baseman Andrew Vaughn to pitch for the final two innings, and the Cubs punished him, knocking in seven runs, including three home runs.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In Brussels’ view, those weaknesses create a direct risk that EU funds can be misused without such abuse being properly detected or punished.
    — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of punished
Verb
  • Luann patiently attempts to explain that the women don’t like being lectured to about their business affairs, only for Vicki to abruptly answer a phone call mid-conversation.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • We’re also lectured early on that Cole is a chess master, but his alleged intelligence never pays off.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of lectured
Verb
  • In April, the Biennale art exhibition — run by the Venice Biennale Foundation, which also runs the film festival — was slammed for allowing Russia and Israel to mount shows in their pavilions.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, Hochman has been slammed for playing politics, embarrassing his office and even backing down for no reason other than the pressure was too intense.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of slammed
Verb
  • Judge William Sullivan declined to declare a mistrial but sharply reprimanded the prosecution and told the jury to disregard Heilbrun’s statements on Clancy’s faith.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The lawsuit says the officer was reprimanded and removed from further field training of Wadell.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • Some parties, including wildfire survivors and some lawmakers that represent fire-scarred districts, had criticized his accountability measures as too loose.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • But the union representing former Spirit flight attendants has criticized the carrier for selling the data.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • That followed an increase over the summer from $599, which Apple blamed on memory costs.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Lopez’s family didn’t buy the story and blamed Elias, who was never charged in Lopez’s death.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of blamed

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castigate
castigated
castigates
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Cite this Entry

“Castigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigated. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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