castigate

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin castīgātus literally, “driven to be faultless” (past participle of castigāre “to chasten”), equivalent to cast(us) “pure, clean” + -īg-, combining form of agere “to drive, incite” + -ātus past participle suffix;see chaste, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM castigate

cas·ti·ga·tion

[kas-ti-gey-shuhn] /ˌkæs tɪˈgeɪ ʃən/ nouncas·ti·ga·tive, cas·ti·ga·to·ry

[kas-ti-guh-tawr-ee], /ˈkæs tɪ gəˌtɔr i/, adjectivecas·ti·ga·tor, nounnon·cas·ti·gat·ing, adjective

self-cas·ti·gat·ing, adjectiveun·cas·ti·gat·ed, adjectiveun·cas·ti·ga·tive, adjective

Words nearby castigate

caste mark, caster, caster action, caster sugar, caste system, castigate, castigation, Castiglione, Castile, Castile soap, Castilho

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use castigate in a sentence

Instead, they were commonly castigated as naive, unpatriotic or even appeasing terrorists.
The critics of war in Afghanistan proved prescient|Jeremy Varon|August 26, 2021|Washington Post
Jack Ma’s absence from public eye sparks Twitter discussionsMa last appeared publicly at a conference where he castigated China’s financial regulatory system in front of a room of high-ranking officials.
Alibaba shares jump on Jack Ma’s first appearance in 3 months|Rita Liao|January 20, 2021|TechCrunch
Judge Walker seemed to agree, castigating the state throughout his decision.
A crashed voter registration website is Floridians’ latest obstacle to the right to vote|Sara Morrison|October 9, 2020|Vox
Because, like Eliot Spitzer, if Falwell had not been outed, you can bet he’d be castigating people publicly for that which he enjoyed privately.
Who Among Us Has Not Seduced the Pool Boy?|Eugene Robinson|August 30, 2020|Ozy

“You can castigate the leaders; you can try and divide us by generation,” he said.
Sharpton Recalls Civil Rights Struggle in DC March Against Police Violence|Ben Jacobs|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gingrich also scored points with the media elite that he loves to castigate.
Newt Gingrich Doubles Down in Defending Stance on Illegal Immigration|Howard Kurtz|November 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Critics castigate other banks for abusing individual investors.
Which Bank Is the Worst?|Gary Rivlin|October 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Matt Bennett, of the Democratic group Third Way, expects Democrats to castigate the Tea Party as “reckless.”
Tea Party’s Next Targets|Daniel Stone, Eleanor Clift|August 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
No, she wouldn't castigate old Major Roper for tattling, and at the same time cross-examine him for her own purposes.
Somehow Good|William de Morgan
A few passages will suffice to show that Germany is not quite devoid of straight-forward men, who dare to castigate hate.
What Germany Thinks|Thomas F. A. Smith
Except for Forster and other pupils of Oughtred who urged him on to castigate Delamain, the controversy might never have arisen.
On the History of Gunter's Scale and the Slide Rule during the Seventeenth Century|Florian Cajori
It is a new road to happiness, if you have strength enough to castigate a little the various impulses that sway you in turn.
Winds Of Doctrine|George Santayana
The company, or companies, of soldiers will be first detailed for the arduous duties of the field to castigate the Indians.
The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains, from Facts Narrated by Himself|De Witt C. Peters

British Dictionary definitions for castigate

castigate

/ (ˈkæstɪˌɡeɪt) /

verb

(tr) to rebuke or criticize in a severe manner; chastise

Derived forms of castigate

castigation, nouncastigator, nouncastigatory, adjective

Word Origin for castigate

C17: from Latin castīgāre to correct, punish, from castum pure + agere to compel (to be)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

castigate

OTHER WORDS FOR castigate

Origin of castigate

OTHER WORDS FROM castigate

Words nearby castigate

Words related to castigate

How to use castigate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for castigate

Derived forms of castigate

Word Origin for castigate