verb
-
to discipline or punish, esp by beating
-
to scold severely
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chastise
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English chastisen, equivalent to chasti(en) “to chasten ” + -s-, of unknown origin + -en infinitive suffix
Explanation
Chastise is a fancy word for telling someone that something they did was really bad. If you pick your nose, your mom will probably yell at you. If you pick your nose in front of the Queen of England, your mom will chastise you. Back in the Middle Ages, chastise used to also come with a beating — that sense of the word has passed, and in fact, people tend to use chastise when they are trying to accuse someone else of overreacting. "You're chastising me for forgetting to feed the cat, but it's not like the cat died!"
Vocabulary lists containing chastise
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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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.
Critics of gold use this fact to chastise the proponents of a return to a gold-backed dollar.
From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025
But Kimmel went on to chastise Carr, showing his social media postings in recent years that gave unequivocal support to the 1st Amendment and condemning the censorship of TV hosts and commentators.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025
Miller often called well into the evening, Dudek said, to chastise him about anything the press had reported that day that had caught the administration off guard.
From Salon • Sep. 9, 2025
He has been involved with several failed efforts to chastise Santos.
From Slate • Nov. 30, 2023
He waited for his father to chastise Lily.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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.
