castigated

verb

past tense of castigate
1
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings castigated him for his constant tardiness

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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of castigated DeSantis said not only is the leak of the grand jury’s presentment a violation of state law, but some of the people castigated in the report were staffers and employees of nonprofits, not public officials. — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 Matt O’Shea, 19th, castigated Johnson’s administration for not more clearly and quickly communicating with aldermen about the sale, first sparked over a year ago. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026 Some of the Democrats who were castigated Friday night at the democratic socialist, progressive rally received an overwhelmingly positive response on Saturday at a get-out-the-vote rally at the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 In a sizzling dissent for the court's three liberals, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson castigated the majority for diminishing not just individual religious rights, but the power of Congress to legislate. — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 23 June 2026 Beatty's legal team on Friday castigated the Kennedy Center for leaving the tarp up. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 20 June 2026 Opponents Venezuela were booed and castigated, not least during a penalty shootout to decide the winners after a 0-0 friendly draw. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 10 June 2026 Labor advocacy groups also castigated the governor’s decision Friday afternoon. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 29 May 2026 His memorable scene from the pic saw Jerjerrof being castigated by Darth Vader for the slow construction of the second Death Star. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigated
  1. scolded
  2. attacked
  3. punished
  4. lectured
  5. slammed
  6. reprimanded
  7. criticized
  8. blamed
Verb
  • District of Columbia Judge Ana Reyes angrily scolded government attorneys in a hearing to block the government from cutting down more trees at East Potomac Golf Course.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Eventually, all charges were dropped days before trial after Perry was finally given the full, unredacted grand jury transcripts and scolded prosecutors for violating the inherent trust placed in the office.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Authorities said John had been a special needs student at the school and had attacked a classroom with special needs students.
    — HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • On Friday, settlers attacked the village as residents, accompanied by peace activists, set out early for the harvest.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • But their complaints come as Lecornu's government seeks to rein in public spending to appease skittish bond markets, which have punished France more harshly than many of its peers this year, amid a global bond market rout.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • People who violate the rules can be found in contempt of court, which generally can be punished with up to six months in jail.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of punished
Verb
  • Earhart lectured at the school before embarking on her final flight.
    — News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Luann patiently attempts to explain that the women don’t like being lectured to about their business affairs, only for Vicki to abruptly answer a phone call mid-conversation.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of lectured
Verb
  • Shortly after, Wilcox slammed on the brakes, jumped out of his vehicle, took out a loaded semi-automatic handgun and fired three gunshots at the officer, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Simon has weakened to a Category 2 storm, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed communities between the Sierra Madre and the ocean and were forecast to persist off the coast of Puerto Vallarta.
    — JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of slammed
Verb
  • Mandell was later formally reprimanded for allowing another client’s hearing to be delayed by six years, during which time two witnesses died.
    — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Denver school board censured director Monica Hunter on Thursday night, the third time in five years that the governing body of Colorado’s largest K-12 district has publicly reprimanded a colleague.
    — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • The article also cites Pan Jinyu, a Chinese-speaking tour guide in London, who criticized the lack of coverage by UK media.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Others criticized how quickly the store went into defensive mode.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • The city's medical examiner, Charles Norris, blamed the federal government's practice of adding toxic substances to industrial alcohol, including those involving methyl alcohol, also known as methanol, which can cause blindness and death.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Other adolescents have also suffered life-changing injuries blamed on police weaponry during protests.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of blamed

Browse Nearby Words

castigate
castigated
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Cite this Entry

“Castigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigated. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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