CHASTISING Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

chastising 1 of 2

adjective

as in punitive

inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment a chastising lecture on the proper care and feeding of the dog

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chastising

2 of 2

verb

present participle of chastise

as in scolding

to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings a cold, distant father who rarely paid attention to his children except to chastise them

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in punishing

to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime the division of opinion regarding the appropriate way to chastise juvenile perpetrators of adult crimes

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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 chastising

Verb

So, by making this offer to you, you side-step chastising her and instead give feedback that can help you both to have better visits in the future. — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 Unifor officials in Canada are chastising Stellantis, while United Auto Workers leaders in the United States are showing measured hope for Belvidere. — Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Seconds later, Vitello was tossed from the game and a hot mic caught third base umpire Lance Barrett chastising the Giants manager. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026 When the House Committee smeared me on TV and sent letters chastising Northwestern during the Biden administration, suddenly my Palestine solidarity speech became a fireable offense. — Literary Hub, 14 July 2026 Daemon chastising Ulf and Hugh over their disobedience, sowing the seeds of their discontent. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 So the painting, which is an image of a maternal figure chastising her child, kind of foreshadows the plot. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 June 2026 The governor took to social media on June 24, chastising the president for canceling the bipartisan housing reform package. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 24 June 2026 Some have been more vocal than others, publicly chastising him for his opacity ahead of what is expected to be a competitive general election race. — Connor Greene, Time, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastising

Adjective

Yet there are few examples in history of adversaries conceding to maximalist demands in the face of punitive bombing campaigns alone—even by the world’s greatest air force.

— Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
An exploration of self-perception and a non-punitive confrontation with the past.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of punitive

Verb

By the time his daughter shows up, flanked by her mom and upright dentist stepdad, Lee’s moved on from scolding the room to thanking his mother for believing him.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Others criticized Anderson for seemingly scolding fans and trying to tell them where to sit.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of scolding

Verb

Seeing that gave Novick hope that the criminal justice system might serve a greater purpose beyond simply punishing those who break the law.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Both a federal district court and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state was not targeting or punishing Catholic preschools because of their faith.

— Preston Green III, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of punishing

Verb

For decades, Zinn traveled the country lecturing to packed auditoriums.

— Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026
The bald guy lecturing me on how to get the money looked real enough, but the question of his true being kept rattling around my increasingly paranoid mind.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of lecturing

Verb

Multiple Republicans brought up Bottoms during the debate when criticizing their GOP opponent.

— Adam Beam, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Raman brought up Gates briefly while criticizing the mayor over the Los Angeles Police Department’s handling of federal immigration enforcement during Tuesday night’s debate.

— David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticizing

Verb

No commercial goods have entered the Gaza Strip for two days, Israeli authorities said Thursday, blaming the suspension on merchants angered by taxes imposed by the militant group Hamas — a claim that Palestinian importers deny.

— Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Guillard would go on to upload hundreds of videos blaming the professor, raking in millions of views.

— Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of blaming

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chastises

chastising

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“Chastising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastising. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of chastising

adjective

verb

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