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
Videos of those horrible patients should also chasten conservatives, because they don’t come from nowhere; they aren’t made up.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2022
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
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
So when to-morrow Ceases, and we Quit this we borrow, Mortality, Love chastens sorrow So it can see....
From One Day & Another A Lyrical Eclogue by Julius Madison Cawein
Every time he felt he had made progress, Antonelli's apparently effortless way of extracting that little bit more from the car chastened him.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
A dozen years later, they were at least somewhat chastened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
In theory, a similar arrangement is possible with a decimated, chastened regime in Tehran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
His players should be equally chastened after this lacklustre surrender.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
All three of them bowed their heads, chastened.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Two-time defending champion Sabalenka returns to New York with a 17-7 win-loss record since the Miami triumph, including a chastening French Open quarter-final exit and a disheartening defeat in the Wimbledon fourth round.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
The world number one has been left licking her wounds after a chastening 3-6 7-5 6-0 defeat by Russia's Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarter-finals.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
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
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.
