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chasten

verb
chas·​ten | \ ˈchā-sᵊn How to pronounce chasten (audio) \
chastened; chastening\ ˈchās-​niŋ How to pronounce chastening (audio) , ˈchā-​sᵊn-​iŋ \

Definition of chasten

transitive verb

1 : to correct by punishment or suffering : discipline If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men — 2 Samuel 7: 14 (King James Version) also : purify
2a : to prune (something, such as a work or style of art) of excess, pretense, or falsity : refine
b : to cause to be more humble or restrained : subdue He was chastened by his team's defeat.
Other Words from chasten Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about chasten

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Other Words from chasten

chastener \ ˈchās-​nər How to pronounce chastener (audio) , ˈchā-​sᵊn-​ər \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for chasten

Synonyms

castigate, chastise, correct, discipline, penalize, punish

Antonyms

excuse, pardon, spare

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Choose the Right Synonym for chasten

punish, chastise, castigate, chasten, discipline, correct mean to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing. punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing. punished for stealing chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation. chastised his son for neglecting his studies castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure. an editorial castigating the entire city council chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued. chastened by a landslide election defeat discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control. parents must discipline their children correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender. the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

Did You Know?

If you say you would "castigate" or "chastise" someone in order to "chasten" them, you demonstrate a good knowledge of the origin of "chasten" - all three verbs derive from the Latin verb castigare, meaning "to punish." The trio shares an initial sense of "to subject to severe and often physical punishment," but all three verbs are now as likely to refer to a verbal dressing-down as a physical lesson. "Chasten" (which arrived in English via Anglo-French chastier) can also be used to mean "to prune of excess, pretense, or falsity." This led to the more general sense of "to make more subdued," although the humility can be imposed by a humiliating situation as easily as by a strict taskmaster.

Examples of chasten in a Sentence

chastened the child with five minutes of sitting in the corner the unexpected loss to a second-rate player really chastened the tournament's top-seeded tennis star

Recent Examples on the Web

 Lesser entrepreneurs might have retreated, chastened, into obscurity after such an ordeal, but not Levandowski. — Alison Griswold, Quartz, "“Silicon Valley is not the Wild West”: Anthony Levandowski faces criminal charges for stealing trade secrets," 28 Aug. 2019 For decades, health officials were chastened from even discussing eradication — until the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation threw its considerable resources behind the idea. — Maria Cheng, BostonGlobe.com, "UN says it’s possible to eradicate malaria, but probably not soon," 23 Aug. 2019 Indeed, the recent quakes near Ridgecrest provided reminders that Californians are buoyed rather than chastened by quakes. — Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, "Mathews: Earthquakes are essential to Californians’ self-esteem," 17 July 2019 Nor did either sound particularly chastened or remorseful when talking to the media on Monday. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "Mickey Callaway Should Have Been Fired for Reporter Confrontation," 25 June 2019 Sophie Taeuber-Arp, the abstract artist who died in 1943 at the age of fifty-three, was the most exquisitely chastened of all the idealists of her generation. — Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, "A Master of Mute Forms," 7 Mar. 2019 The idea was to uphold the social order, to prevent someone from passing themselves off as a member of a different class, to keep women covered and the poor chastened. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Decoding the wedding dress code," 27 June 2019 The chief executive insisted that the company both regretted its role in the crashes and chastened itself in their aftermath. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "Boeing Won’t Rename the 737 MAX," 26 June 2019 But independent biologists told me they were far more downbeat, chastened by the scope of losses. — Andrew Revkin, National Geographic, "14-foot fish spotted in river, giving hope to vanished giant’s return," 7 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chasten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of chasten

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for chasten

alteration of obsolete English chaste to chasten, from Middle English, from Anglo-French chastier, from Latin castigare, from castus + -igare (from agere to drive) — more at act

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More Definitions for chasten

chasten

verb
How to pronounce chasten (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of chasten

: to cause (someone) to feel sad or embarrassed about something that has happened

See the full definition for chasten in the English Language Learners Dictionary

chasten

verb
chas·​ten | \ ˈchā-sᵊn How to pronounce chasten (audio) \
chastened; chastening

Kids Definition of chasten

: to correct by punishment : discipline

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