castigate

Meanings

1. To criticize someone very severely.
2. To punish by strong disapproval.

Example sentences

• "The newspaper castigated the minister for his mistake."

  Level C2, Meaning 1

• "The coach castigated his team after the match."

  Level C2, Meaning 1

• "She was castigated in public for her remarks."

  Level C2, Meaning 1

• "Critics castigated the film as dull."

  Level C2, Meaning 1

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• scold : Scold is everyday and often about small things, usually from a parent or teacher. Castigate is formal and severe, and it is often public.

Word family and forms

Forms: castigates, castigated, castigating

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "castigate".

• castigate someone for
• publicly castigated
• castigate the government
• sharply castigate
• castigate critics
• castigate for failing

Origin

Castigate comes from Latin castigare, which meant to correct or to punish. It goes back to castus, meaning pure, and it is a doublet of the English words chastise and chasten, which took a different route through Old French.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

Stronger and more formal than "criticize"; often used about official reports or public statements.

How to remember it

Castigate has "cast" inside: imagine someone casting heavy blame on you.

Test yourself

Learn next at C2

• cloy To become unpleasant or too much, especially through excessive sweetne...
• compendium A short, complete collection of information on a subject.
• complaisant Willing to please others and go along with what they want.
• connoisseur A person with expert knowledge and taste in a particular field, especi...
• cupidity An intense, often excessive desire for wealth or possessions.
• debauch To lead someone away from moral behavior, often into excessive pleasur...