chastise
to rebuke or punish someone for wrongdoing
Word origin: From Latin castigare, to correct, via Old French chastier.
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Verbal · Text Completion
The novelist's late style is admired precisely for its blank: every superfluous phrase has been pared away, leaving prose of startling economy.
Using “chastise” well
Chastise means to rebuke or punish for wrongdoing. It overlaps heavily with castigate, a near-synonym that tends to be more formal and severe.
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Questions about “chastise”
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