1
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
castigated him for his constant tardiness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacked
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
a newspaper editorial castigating the city council for approving the project in the first place
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in punished
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
a judge who believes in castigating criminals to the full extent of the law
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of castigated
Trump has castigated European allies, particularly Denmark, for doing too little to protect the region.
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Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony also castigated the deputies for mishandling the 14 calls Mary made to BSO in the year leading up to her death.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Chris Wright castigated European energy generated from wind farms as too costly.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
The court gave the green light for those sweeping immigration operations to continue in Los Angeles — a decision that was praised by the White House and castigated by immigrant rights advocates.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Payne also castigated the department for failing to provide any of the documents that lawmakers had requested on June 3.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The big headline from the rescissions effort is that the government will cut off funds to PBS and NPR, which Republicans have long castigated as having a liberal agenda.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 18 July 2025
Each regime, from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic, claimed to uphold human rights and castigated its predecessors as torturers, only to ratchet up the incarceration of political opponents.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigated
Verb
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Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.—
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders scolded the media on Sunday after the team’s close loss to the Buffalo Bills at home.—
Verb
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Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, the congregation’s leader from the 1950s to the 70s, supported civil rights activists and helped found an interracial group of clergy to help rebuild Black churches attacked by white supremacists, according to the institute.—
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And, the dog attacked again after the owner failed to secure the dog in a separate room.—
Verb
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Indiana physically punished Alabama in the quarterfinal.—
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People who have been punished but treated humanely have a far greater chance of successfully reintegrating into society, an important consideration for all of us.—
Verb
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But this season’s 49ers team was lectured from the start to back off on the Super Bowl talk after last year’s 6-11 debacle and instead work on simply becoming a good team that gets better every week.—
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Meanwhile, Cheen also lectured on the music industry across Asia and Australia.—
Verb
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Wilson slammed Homeland Security officials for the shooting that came a day after a woman was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis.—
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Many Democrats have slammed the administration's conclusions, arguing that the video does not appear to show the woman trying to hit officers.—
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Performers have been reprimanded for making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes during shows in the late 1990s and 2000s, according to Westword, and Stock Show officials were quick to apologize.—
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Shatzman said her group’s complaint is the first time a federal judge has been accused of mistreating staff after being reprimanded following an earlier accusation.—
Verb
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Officials originally proposed upgrading the city’s largest cricket stadium, The Gabba, to accommodate the Games, though the project’s price tag was heavily criticized.—
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A number of head coaches leading teams at AFCON 2025 in Morocco have criticized the changes to the tournament’s schedule, arguing that AFCON’s current two-year cycle is ideal for the development of African football and related infrastructure.—
Verb
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Authorities quickly blamed the residents and threatened to tear down their homes.—
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Rather, many Iranians instead blamed the leadership for either provoking the conflict or failing to meaningfully defend the country from Israeli – or American – bombs.—
Cite this Entry
“Castigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigated. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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