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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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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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 That year, after Israeli officials castigated Qatar for allegedly financing Hamas, the Qataris began demanding formal documentation of an arrangement the two governments had agreed was meant to provide relief to citizens of the beleaguered enclave. — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for castigated
  1. scolded
  2. attacked
  3. punished
  4. lectured
  5. slammed
  6. reprimanded
  7. criticized
  8. blamed
Verb
  • For example, just recently, Musk publicly scolded the CEO of Delta in a scorching post on X when the airline did not partner with Starlink to provide Wi-Fi on Delta flights.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But leaders seeking to encourage tourism scolded residents who warned of the danger on social media.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • The men were returning to camp when their white armored Toyota Land Cruiser was attacked by members of the two Haitian gangs.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • After Israel accepted its meager portion, Arabs attacked and retained a significant part of the land that was to be divided between Jews and Arabs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • Cam Skattebo was surprisingly punished for his fumbling issues, but there is precedence in John Harbaugh’s coaching history.
    — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Settler violence has surged in recent years, and rights groups say that attackers are rarely arrested or punished for attacks on Palestinians.
    — Koral Saeed, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
  • Ivan Bates, who slammed the inability to get justice for the family, also addressed juvenile accountability in his new Beyond the Status Quo podcast with DJS Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino.
    — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has also waived sanctions on Russia, a move which Zelenskyy slammed as helping Putin push on with Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which will hit the five-year mark in February.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 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
  • Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, criticized the state's election officials for not cooperating with the department's demands.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Some Democrats have criticized national groups for not spending more in Southern states like Mississippi.
    — Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • At least $343,100 is to be spent on surveillance after the president falsely blamed vandals for damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
    — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Many senior Democrats blamed her, along with the rest of the family and his close aides, for hiding his condition.
    — Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of blamed

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Cite this Entry

“Castigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/castigated. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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