chasten
verb (used with object)
to inflict suffering upon for purposes of moral improvement; chastise.
had chastened
-
past perfectof chasten.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Watching the horror movie increased the students’ aversion to risk by roughly as much as the financial crisis had chastened the bank’s clients, although not among those who claimed to like horror movies.
From Economist ● Jan. 23, 2014
The inscrutable voter, who had chastened them all in 1948, seemed even more inscrutable in 1950.
From Time Magazine Archive
Two weeks of pure Mrs. Winters had chastened Nancy to an unusual degree.
From Young People's Pride A Novel by Stephen Vincent Benét
He had grown to be a very meek and courteous devil; steady employment in righteous causes had chastened him to a degree and purged away somewhat of the violence of his nature.
From The Holy Cross and Other Tales by Eugene Field
Alexander Abraham groaned, but I could see that the way I had looked him over had chastened him considerably.
From Chronicles of Avonlea by L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery
