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
  • Some intergenerational sparring ensues, as Kevin scolds Arthur for his more outré boomer comments, and Arthur in turn sneers at his grandson’s millennial lameness.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The audience screams in response, and Scovel scolds them again but this time with a smile.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 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
  • Beatty’s filing also criticizes the tarps that have covered the venue’s front portico for more than two months.
    — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Lebanese leader criticizes Israel Saturday’s strikes are the deadliest since the truce went into effect two months ago.
    — Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticizes
Verb
  • Trump blames the previous administration for high beef prices.
    — Benjamin Zycher, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026
  • What remains is Jessie’s younger sister and a complicated relationship with the boy everyone blames.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of blames
Verb
  • Robert Pozen, who lectures at MIT Sloan School of Management and was formerly president of Fidelity Investments, has an answer to the obvious question about who inspects this.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 22 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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