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to castigate

to castigate

14 8.8
To criticize or punish someone very harshly
  • verb
  • /ˈkæstɪˌɡeɪt/
  • Formal
translation icon : censurar
  • The teacher had to castigate the student for repeatedly failing to turn in his homework.
  • castigated the government
  • castigated the United States

They just castigated Trump the same way I did.

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Examples

  • If you describe people who are virtuous but primitive, you can use that to castigate your own people.

  • In examining the incentive system and supporting culture, one ought not to castigate participants of that culture for being immoral.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Long did not take up the offer to join the Democrats, though he continued to castigate white Republicans.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And you shouldn't castigate your staff members for making a mistake or your children.

  • All of this is being done as the Japanese government castigates the United States for thinking of managed trade.

    Academic text (1994)
  • If I castigate Austin, it is because my own failings are equally as great.

  • We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.

  • As limited as the options available to women are, society severely castigates those who break the norms of acceptable behavior.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In the Near East, Edward Saeed was absolutely right to castigate our Orientalizing prejudices.

  • Native American activists have greatly castigated these works for their trivialization and commercialization of Native American spirituality.

    Academic text (2000)

Synonyms

to punish
vsto castigate
821 1.0

Make someone suffer for doing something wrong

focuses equally on harsh punishment and harsh verbal criticism
to correct
vsto castigate
65 7.7

To scold or punish someone to improve their behavior

is harsher, often intending strong pain or severe disgrace
to blast
vsto castigate
  • Literature
61 5.3

To strongly criticize someone in public

includes both public attack and the sense of severe sanction
to scold
vsto castigate
55 2.2

Speak angrily to someone who has done something wrong

includes verbal rebuke but also the possibility of harsh sanction
to vilify
vsto castigate
43 7.9

To say or write bad things about someone to harm them

can include formal punishment or severe personal chastisement as well
to give someone hell
vsto castigate
  • Informal
37 8.1

To scold someone very strongly for something they did

puts equal weight on harsh punishment and harsh verbal attack
to berate
vsto castigate
36 7.2

Scold someone angrily and severely

is similar but can include formal punishment as well as anger
to chastise
vsto castigate
  • Formal
33 7.6

To scold someone strongly for doing something wrong

adds the idea of harsh punishment as well as reprimand
to crucify
vsto castigate
  • NSFW
32 8.0

To criticize someone or something very harshly, often in public

is similar but can include formal legal or official punishment
to rebuke
vsto castigate
  • Formal
26 6.9

To tell someone firmly that you do not approve of their actions

is harsher and can also mean imposing severe consequences
to revile
vsto castigate
  • Offensive
23 8.2

To say angry, insulting things about someone or something

is similar but may also involve formal or punitive action
to scorch
vsto castigate
15 7.3

To severely criticize someone or something

adds the dimension of punishment or severe corrective action
to lambast
vsto castigate
12 8.2

To criticize someone very strongly and angrily

leans more toward punishment and official harshness in some cases
to let someone have it
vsto castigate
  • Informal
11 8.1

To angrily tell someone off

is similar but can be more formal or deliberately punitive
to excoriate
vsto castigate
  • Literature
9 9.8

To criticize someone or something very harshly in public

can also mean imposing severe consequences beyond public criticism
to chasten
vsto castigate
8 8.2

Make someone less proud by punishing or criticizing them so they behave better

is harsher and more punitive rather than constructive correction
to pillory
vsto castigate
7 9.3

To criticize someone publicly to make them feel ashamed

adds the possibility of formal or severe punitive treatment
to skin someone alive
vsto castigate
  • Offensive
6 8.8

To scold or punish someone severely to show strong anger, not a real action

adds a real punitive or disciplinary sense beyond figurative attack
to rake over the coals
vsto castigate
  • Informal
4 7.9

Scold someone very strongly for a mistake

adds a punitive or more extreme harshness element
to put on blast
vsto castigate
  • Offensive
3 9.5

Say bad things about someone in public to show others what they did

can include formal or severe punitive actions beyond shaming
to upbraid
vsto castigate
  • Formal
3 8.8

To scold someone strongly for something they did wrong

adds stronger harshness and possible punitive consequences
to lambaste
vsto castigate
1 8.0

To criticize someone or something very strongly in public

is similar but also covers formal punishment beyond public attack
to scald
vsto castigate
1 8.1

To criticize someone or something very harshly

is broader, also covering punitive treatment or official sanction
to haul over the coals
vsto castigate
  • Informal
1 8.6

To scold someone very strongly for a mistake

can include physical or formal punishment besides harsh scolding
to objurgate
vsto castigate
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To scold someone strongly for doing something wrong

is harsher and may include punitive measures beyond rebuke
to pillorize
vsto castigate
  • US
9.9

To say bad things about someone in public to make them feel ashamed

covers public shame but also the act of harsh punishment
to vituperate
vsto castigate
  • Offensive
9.9

To criticize someone angrily using harsh words

can also mean applying formal or severe consequences beyond abuse
to read to filth
vsto castigate
  • Offensive
9.9

Strongly insult someone in front of others to embarrass them

can also include formal punishment or official reprimand
to clapperclaw
vsto castigate
  • Offensive
9.9

To attack someone with angry words

can include formal or official punishment as well as verbal abuse
to reprobate
vsto castigate
  • Literature
9.4

To say strongly that someone or something is wrong

is more severe and can imply punishment or condemnation

Antonyms

328 1.3

To give something to someone to thank them for doing something good

161 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

How Severe

to vilify
43 7.9
to castigate
  • Formal
14 8.8
to condemn
298 4.0
to rebuke
  • Formal
26 6.9
to criticize
701 3.3

Surface Forms

castigate infinitive
castigated past
castigated past participle
castigating present participle
castigates third person singular

Morphology

castigate = castig + ate

Although analyzable as the Latinate stem 'castig-' + verb-forming suffix '-ate', the stem is not a standalone English word and the meaning 'criticize/punish harshly' is not derivable by an average B1 learner from the components.

Etymology

Castigate comes from the Latin castigare, which is built on castus meaning 'pure'. The old idea was to 'clean' someone by strong punishment, and that image helps explain why castigate now means to punish or criticize someone very harshly.