Castigate

verb/ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/rhetoric
Definition
To criticize or reprimand someone severely.
Etymology
First attested in the beginning of the 17th century; borrowed from Latin castīgātus, perfect passive participle of castīgō (“to reprove”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from castus (“pure, chaste”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱes- (“to cut”). Doublet of chastise and chasten, taken through Old French. See also chaste.
Synonyms
rebuke, reprimand, chasten, chastise
In a sentence
  • The auditor castigated the team for the missing controls.
Tags
Source
Vocabulary_Master.csv
added 2026-10-11