chasten
Americanverb (used with object)
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chastens,
present (3rd person singular)
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chastened,
past participle, past
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chastening
present participle
verb
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to bring to a state of submission; subdue; tame
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to discipline or correct by punishment
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to moderate; restrain; temper
Usage
What does chasten mean? To chasten is to discipline, punish, or severely criticize, especially with the intention of improving someone’s behavior. Chasten has many shades of meaning that are all somewhat similar. It can mean to tame or subdue, or to moderate or restrain someone’s behavior. In all cases, it typically involves some form of discipline or negative consequences for the person being chastened. Chasten is a relatively formal word, and so are its close synonyms (like chastise, castigate, and reprimand), but it’s probably used less commonly than they are. It’s often associated with Christian or other religious language due to its use in some translations of the Bible. Example: My grandfather grew up in a boarding school, where he was chastened for even the most minor infractions.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chastensimple
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chastenssimple
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have chastenedperfect
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has chastenedperfect
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am chasteningprogressive
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are chasteningprogressive
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is chasteningprogressive
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have been chasteningperfect progressive
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has been chasteningperfect progressive
Past
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chastenedsimple
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had chastenedperfect
-
was chasteningprogressive
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were chasteningprogressive
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had been chasteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chasten
1520–30; chaste + -en 1; replacing chaste (v.), Middle English chastien < Old French chastier < Latin castigāre; see castigate
Explanation
To chasten someone is to correct him or her, often with the use of some pretty steep punishment. Chasten can also mean "to restrain." Either of these actions may be necessary when someone isn't behaving like they're supposed to. The verb chasten is often used with the verb "to be" as in "be chastened." If students are caught writing graffiti on the bathroom wall, you can expect them to be chastened by both the school and their parents. Chasten is related to the word chastise, meaning "to punish severely." Both words can be traced back to the Latin root castus, meaning "morally pure." So keep yourself on the straight and narrow when it comes to morality and you can avoid being chastened.
Vocabulary lists containing chasten
The Fault in Our Stars
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Matilda
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Wasn't Me: The Lingo of Laying Blame
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With the board that tried to chasten him swapped out, Altman has a lot of leeway to make occasional principled stands while making zillions of dollars, or not.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2023
But his assault seemed to chasten Israel’s media and chattering classes.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2023
People are reminded during a crisis like this that a local newspaper is a central thread that stitches neighbors together with birthday photos that make grandma happy and crime reports that chasten the scofflaw.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 6, 2020
Image: ABC There are moments in season 2 where Cooper bounces back into form, but they’re outnumbered by events that exhaust and chasten him, visibly transforming him into a more solemn, internal man.
From The Verge ● May 31, 2017
In school Kantorek used to chasten Mittelstaedt with exactly the same expression—“Inadequate, Mittelstaedt, quite inadequate.”
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Her humility, even in recollection, chastens him with “the true absurdity of almost all the ambitions which coursed through my younger self when I wanted to be a famous writer.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 23, 2022
Eventually, however, Lear’s tragic ordeal chastens him and leads him to self-awareness and repentance.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 14, 2022
As the climate crisis chastens and public awareness grows, environmental concerns have finally made their way to the video game industry.
From The Verge ● Dec. 5, 2019
A tender 1960s portrait of the aged social activist Dorothy Day chastens and deepens the smirky irreverence of the Chicago Seven’s yippie posturing.
From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2012
The gracious Lord Will help afford; He chastens with forbearing; Who God believes, And to him cleaves, Shall not be left despairing.
From Poems with Power to Strengthen the Soul by James Mudge
And while Boeing initially seemed chastened in its behavior, Kennedy said that after the MAX planes got approved, “they seemed to revert right back to their old ways.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
There is also a point to prove for Rohl and his chastened squad.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
His players should be equally chastened after this lacklustre surrender.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
This week, a chastened Summers found himself in different circumstances: standing in the well of a Harvard lecture hall, asking his students’ forgiveness as his professional life was unraveling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
I spake to him in the strongest possible Terms of my Authority, and he seems much chastened & quieter.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
England suffered a chastening pre-T20 World Cup defeat as they were completely outplayed by India in a 38-run defeat in Chelmsford.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
The genius needed chastening, and in “Steve Jobs in Exile” you can witness it happening, sometimes day by day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
It is a chastening experience for Vitol, whose partners pride themselves on having dodged many of the pitfalls that hurt rivals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
While hopes of Champions League progress appear in tatters following their latest chastening defeat, it is Tottenham's Premier League situation which remains most pressing.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
Isaac was laughing, but Patrick raised a chastening finger and said, “Augustus, please. Let’s return to you and your struggles. You said you fear oblivion?”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
