verb
Other Word Forms
- castigation noun
- castigative adjective
- castigator noun
- castigatory adjective
- noncastigating adjective
- self-castigating adjective
- uncastigated adjective
- uncastigative adjective
Etymology
Origin of castigate
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin castīgātus literally, “driven to be faultless” (past participle of castigāre “to chasten”), equivalent to cast(us) “pure, clean” + -īg-, combining form of agere “to drive, incite” + -ātus past participle suffix; chaste, -ate 1
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.
Webb was able to take on some of Hong Kong’s most powerful constituencies and castigate regulatory authorities for letting corporate governance issues fester.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
"You will be the same person that will castigate us if we acquiesce to accepting Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria," he added.
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025
Mr. Cooper called in to “Geraldo” to argue that he was not at fault, and to castigate his son.
From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2023
"I definitely think it's cultural. It's important not to castigate cultural practices around food but also raise awareness about food safety."
From Salon • Aug. 7, 2022
Then what ideas did Mencken hold that made a newspaper like the Commercial Appeal castigate him publicly?
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
