castigate
Americanverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
castigationnoun
-
castigatornoun
-
castigativeadjective
-
castigatoryadjective
-
noncastigatingadjective
-
self-castigatingadjective
-
uncastigatedadjective
-
uncastigativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
castigatesimple
-
castigatessimple
-
have castigatedperfect
-
has castigatedperfect
-
am castigatingprogressive
-
are castigatingprogressive
-
is castigatingprogressive
-
have been castigatingperfect progressive
-
has been castigatingperfect progressive
Past
-
castigatedsimple
-
had castigatedperfect
-
was castigatingprogressive
-
were castigatingprogressive
-
had been castigatingperfect progressive
Future
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; see chaste, -ate 1
Explanation
Use castigate when you mean "to reprimand in an especially harsh way." If you accidentally spill coffee all over your sister's favorite sweater, you might worry that she's going to castigate you as soon as she finds out. Castigate means punish, and punish harshly, but the punishment is always a severe scolding. Sometimes it means criticize severely. Politicians in the Senate are always castigating each other for their alliances and opinions. Castigate and chasten, which also means "to reprimand" but is less severe, share the Latin root castus which means "pure." Ideally, if you castigate someone, you mean to guide someone away from the wrong path and toward a more pure one. But it sure doesn't feel like that when you're being castigated!
Vocabulary lists containing castigate
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 11, List 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
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
We would be wise to castigate every member of that committee, in person if you attend a political or social event, for making novice lawyers on their first day in a courtroom look good.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2020
But I am not here to castigate you.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 30, 2020
Then what ideas did Mencken hold that made a newspaper like the Commercial Appeal castigate him publicly?
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Pécresse, who controls Paris regional transport, hopes to have all buses and trains equipped with aircon by 2032, and she castigates her Socialist predecessor for failing to see its importance.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
He castigates Mary Ann Glendon, a professor of law at Harvard, for favoring “collective interests and responsibilities” over individual rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
In U2’s “Crumbs From Your Table,” Bono castigates the wealthy West, especially the U.S., for its miserly and neglectful treatment of African countries long harmed by colonization.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2023
I am hardly an uninterested party to the drama: I first grew acquainted with the region when the policymakers Simon ruthlessly castigates sent me to war there, repeatedly, as a young officer in the U.S.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2023
He sharply castigates the one-sidedness and impetuosity of the mechanical theory, as in Haeckel's discovery of Bathybius and of non-nucleated bacteria.
From Naturalism And Religion by Rudolf Otto
The creator and lead actress of the HBO hit series “Girls” has long been castigated for her vocal fry and grating delivery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
His 24-page ruling also castigated both Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and government lawyers for submitting “evasive and demonstrably false” claims to the court under oath.
From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2025
England were widely castigated after the first Test ended inside two days, with former players slamming the so-called "Bazball" tactics which saw a number of batsmen throw their wickets away with rash shots.
From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025
It repeats, without shedding new light, on the ways Kissinger has long been celebrated and castigated.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025
In the best histrionic village style, Sourmelina unleashed soaring arias in which she lamented the death of her husband and castigated him for dying.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
"Women also must take this opportunity to bring men along with us," scolded Kami Rieck at the New York Times, in a column castigating women who are feeling demoralized about dating men.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
The organization even purchased a full-page advertisement in The Times castigating Mayor Eric Garcetti for not helping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2023
On the left, meanwhile, publicly castigating the big asset managers on ESG, including calling for senior executives to resign, risks creating a bunker mentality that could lead the firms to disengage from the broader debate.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 20, 2023
There were similar scenes from West Ham's players at Southampton, castigating Peter Bankes for not ruling out Saints' opener, while Hammers boss David Moyes said the VAR needed "to go to Specsavers".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2022
No more arguing and citing examples and quoting the famous dead and castigating the infamous living.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
