chastisement

American  

[chas-tiz-muhnt, chas-tahyz-] / ˈtʃæs tɪz mənt, tʃæsˈtaɪz- /

noun

1. severe criticism; a rebuke or strong reprimand.

2. corporal punishment; a beating.

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Usage

What does chastisement mean? Chastisement is “a strong verbal reprimand” or “severe criticism,” such as the scolding a child may face for coloring on the walls—or the talking-to an employee gets for imbibing too much eggnog at the company holiday party.More commonly in British English, chastisement can also refer to corporal punishment, like a spanking or a beating.Example: The careless driver had hoped the cop would let her go with a stern chastisement, but the officer wrote her a speeding ticket.

Etymology

Origin of chastisement

First recorded in 1275–1325; chastise + -ment

Example Sentences

This person is asking a serious question about retiring with $100,000 in the bank, and all they’re getting is chastisement.

From MarketWatch

The ban saw the removal of reasonable chastisement as a legal defence.

From BBC

“Here, we see not a god of wrath and chastisement, but the God of mercy, who takes flesh and enters the world in weakness,’’ the pope said.

From Seattle Times

This brought an unusual chastisement from the Cochrane Library’s editor-in-chief, who stated it was “not an accurate representation of what the review found.”

From Scientific American

Euwe’s face was flushed by the chastisement and he was on the verge of tears.

From Literature