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Glite Dictionary
to chasten

to chasten

8 8.2
Make someone less proud by punishing or criticizing them so they behave better
  • verb
  • /ˈtʃeɪsən/
translation icon : corregir
  • After being reprimanded by his coach, he felt chastened and worked harder to improve his performance.

Or the prophet prays and says, Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, nor chasten me in thy displeasure.

Examples

  • Max sits here, chastened, thoughtful, considering all the incriminating evidence before him.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • And Americans have been chastened by the difficulty of their experience as world leaders and cold warriors.

    Academic text (1992)

  • When you returned, you were chastened.

    Knives Out (2019)

  • I think that the writings of the New Testament and this sort of study should deeply chasten reflection on Christian mission.

  • Likewise, the great energy consumers of today are likely to have been chastened by the high prices of last year.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The French are chastened, but not defeated, Harley.

    The Favourite (2018)

  • I expect that Republicans will be demoralized and chastened for a short time.

    Blog text (10)

  • The United States is an imperial power chastened by more than 10 years of failed, heavy-footprint wars.

    Blog text (12)

  • I learned much about this from my own chastened experience under my late Ojibwe teacher, Larry Cloud Morgan.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Like Alice and Kate, Laura is chastened as much for her specific economic actions as for her marital choice.

    Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

to correct
vsto chasten
65 7.7

To scold or punish someone to improve their behavior

adds making someone less proud and hardship as a corrective method
to chastise
vsto chasten
  • Formal
33 7.6

To scold someone strongly for doing something wrong

uses punishment or hardship to correct character rather than only verbal rebuke
to castigate
vsto chasten
  • Formal
14 8.8

To criticize or punish someone very harshly

aims to discipline and humble to improve character rather than punish harshly
to objurgate
vsto chasten
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To scold someone strongly for doing something wrong

uses punishment or hardship to change behavior rather than only expressing disapproval
to chap someone's hide
vsto chasten
  • Informal
9.3

To scold someone angrily for something they did

focuses on corrective discipline aimed at improving character rather than angry scolding

Antonyms

to reward
328 1.3

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

praise
161 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

How Severe

to humiliate
  • Offensive
414 6.1
to punish
821 1.0
to chasten
8 8.2
to reprimand
  • Formal
33 6.1
to admonish
31 6.8
to remind
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

chasten infinitive
chastened past
chastened past participle
chastening present participle
chastens third person singular

Morphology

chasten = chaste (semi-transparent) = chaste + en

Formed from 'chaste' + the verb-forming suffix '-en'; historically meant 'make chaste', but the modern sense 'discipline/punish' has shifted so learners may not predict it from 'chaste'.

Etymology

The word chasten comes from the Latin root castus meaning 'pure' and is related to English chaste. Long ago it meant 'to make pure' by correction, so to chasten someone is to correct or discipline them to improve their behavior.