chastening 1 of 3

adjective

as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment a chastening hour spent cleaning floors should discourage them from further pranks

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chastening

2 of 3

noun

as in condemnation

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chastening

3 of 3

verb

present participle of chasten
1
as in punishing
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime chastened the child with five minutes of sitting in the corner

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliating
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes the unexpected loss to a second-rate player really chastened the tournament's top-seeded tennis star

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 chastening
Adjective
Sunderland are lurking and, perhaps for the first time under Howe’s management, Newcastle are in deficit, needing a response (yet again) after a chastening night in Europe. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
Another reason this defeat felt so chastening for United was that eight of Hull’s starting line-up had come up from the Championship, a year on from surviving relegation on goal difference. — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 The discipline and economy of Rosenwald’s philanthropy also provide a chastening contrast to our current hidebound efforts to help people. — Harold Pollack, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chastening
  1. punitive
  2. condemnation
  3. punishing
  4. humiliating
  5. chastisement
  6. discrediting
  7. assessment
  8. humbling
Adjective
  • Rather than imposing more punitive rules on all shoppers, however, retailers should identify high-risk returns and apply additional verification selectively to protect the customer experience for the vast swathe of legitimate patrons.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The measure would have barred Switzerland from joining punitive measures against other countries unless they were imposed by the United Nations.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of punitive
Noun
  • Videos also surfaced allegedly showing two teachers being attacked by students, provoking condemnation from the French president and officials as well as teaching unions.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Recent campaign filings by the Yes on Proposition 45 campaign revealed two donations that quickly drew condemnations from Democratic leaders.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of condemnation
Verb
  • Speaking with OutKick, Herz addressed the societal shift toward retroactively punishing individuals for online posts.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Five decades of operating successfully through punishing sanctions have taught the Iranian regime a thing or two about how to cope.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of punishing
Verb
  • The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Definition of humiliating
Noun
  • Case appealed, headed to Idaho Supreme Court Neither side was fully satisfied by the decision — or appeared to take Scott’s chastisement to heart.
    — Rose Evans Updated December 10, Idaho Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025
  • Frail, undernourished, lacking sufficient clothing, and shoeless, Kammo is overburdened by chores and in constant fear of chastisement.
    — JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Definition of chastisement
Verb
  • Matthew Cohen—who has also gone by Jason Goose—played his own part in discrediting the files.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • This isn’t about discrediting merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected and protected.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of discrediting
Noun
  • State agencies, including the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, have helped local officials with damage assessments and power restoration, among other tasks.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Across these policy questions and performance assessments, Democrats and Republicans express clear and consistent support for their party’s positions and candidates.
    — Julio Borquez, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of assessment
Verb
  • But the research on what actually happens during those two minutes is humbling.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some day, the Hornets may collectively look back on this occasion as part of the humbling growing pains of stepping up in classification in a sport that allows no grace period for transition.
    — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of humbling

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Cite this Entry

“Chastening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chastening. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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