chastise

IPA/tʃæˈstaɪz/
KK[tʃæstˈaɪz]IPA/tʃæˈstaɪz/

chastise — verb

  • chastisepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • chastiseshe / she / it
  • chastisedpast simple
  • chastising-ing form

1. to tell someone in a strong and angry way that they have done something wrong, o

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to tell someone in a strong and angry way that they have done something wrong, often in order to correct their behaviour

Example

The company director chastised the sales team for failing to meet their targets.

chastise + for + reason for criticism

Amina chastised herself for arriving late to the important job interview.

reflexive pronoun: chastise oneself for something

Common collocations
  • chastise severely
  • chastise publicly
  • chastise for something
Synonyms
  • reprimand

    more official and formal, often used in workplace or institutional settings

  • rebuke

    strong and sharp, often public

  • scold

    less formal, more common in everyday family situations

Antonyms
  • praise

    to express warm approval or admiration

  • commend

    formal praise for someone's actions

Grammar Patterns

chastise + noun/pronoun + for + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Frequently used in formal, professional, or public contexts. The person being criticized is always the direct object, followed by for and the reason for the criticism.

Common Mistakes

The principal chastised at the students for running in the hall.
The principal chastised the students for running in the hall.
'chastise' is always transitive; the person being criticized must be the direct object without a preposition.

2. to hit or beat someone as a punishment for something they have done wrong

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to hit or beat someone as a punishment for something they have done wrong

Example

In the memoir, the author describes how nuns chastised students with wooden rulers.

historical register: chastise + with + instrument

In earlier centuries, parents regularly chastised disobedient children by spanking them.

Common collocations
  • chastise with a whip
  • chastise with a cane
  • chastise with a ruler
Synonyms
  • spank

    specifically hitting the buttocks, less formal

  • beat

    stronger and more violent in tone

  • whip

    specifically using a whip as the instrument

Antonyms
  • reward

    to give something as a positive consequence

  • praise

    to express warm approval for good behaviour

Grammar Patterns

chastise + noun/pronoun

chastise + noun/pronoun + with + instrument

Usage Note

Dated or historical in modern English. When used today, to chastise almost always means to criticize rather than to hit. This physical-punishment sense is mostly found in historical texts, legal documents, or discussions of past practices.

Common Mistakes

My boss chastised me by reducing my salary.
The warden chastised the prisoner with a whip.
In modern English, 'chastise' without a physical instrument or context means 'criticize'; use 'punish' for non-physical penalties.

Word family

  • chastisement
    nounC1
  • chastiser
    nounC2
  • unchastised
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve expressing disapproval, but they differ in formality and intensity. Scold is the most common and informal, used in everyday family situations ('a mother scolding a child for spilling juice'). Reprimand is more official, typically used in workplace or institutional contexts where the criticism follows a formal procedure ('the officer was reprimanded for misconduct'). Rebuke is sharper and often public, carrying moral or emotional weight ('the judge rebuked the lawyer for wasting the court's time'). Chastise is the strongest and most formal of the four, implying both anger and a desire to correct serious wrongdoing, and it is less commonly used in everyday conversation than the others.

reprimand ↗rebukescold ↗criticize ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • for doing something wrong
  • with a cane / whip / ruler

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Chastise comes from the Old French word chastiier, meaning 'to punish,' which in turn comes from Latin castigare — a combination of castus ('pure, chaste') and agere ('to drive, do'). The original idea was to 'make pure' through discipline or correction. The sense shifted from physical punishment in early English to include severe verbal criticism by the 19th century.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2