2 Samuel 7: 14 (King James Version)
Did you know?
Buck up, logophiles! There’s no need to fret if you have a hard time sussing out the finer distinctions between chasten, castigate, and chastise, three verbs with overlapping histories and meanings. All three come (via different routes) from the Latin verb castīgāre, meaning "to punish," and all have been used to refer to physical punishment, but today are more likely to refer to a verbal dressing-down than a rap on the knuckles (or worse). However, while one is usually castigated or chastised by another person, one can be chastened—made to feel humility or embarrassment—by a humbling situation or experience. Just don’t let encountering an unfamiliar or subtle word be one of them; that’s what we’re here for.
Synonyms
Examples of chasten in a Sentence
Ben Church, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
Channel 4 posted its biggest deficit of all time last year in what was a chastening financial year, with content boss Ian Katz deciding to reject his bonus.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2024
Uproars of this type have had a chastening effect on F.B.I. agents and analysts, according to Elizabeth Neumann, who was a senior Department of Homeland Security official in the George W. Bush and Trump Administrations.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024
Since 2005 Labour has suffered four consecutive defeats, the most recent a historically chastening ballot-box beatdown for then-leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.
—NBC News, 4 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for chasten 
Dictionary Entries Near chasten
Cite this Entry
“Chasten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chasten. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share