castigate
1 of 1verb/ˈkæstɪɡeɪt/
Forms:castigates,castigating,castigated,castigated
1
to strongly and harshly criticize someone or something
C2transitive- The manager castigated the employee for consistently failing to meet deadlines.
- The journalist castigated the government in the editorial for its handling of the crisis.
- Unhappy with the product quality, the customer castigated the company in the online review.
- The professor castigated the students for their lack of preparation in the final exam.
- He was castigating his employees for not meeting the company's standards.
2
to inflict harsh punishment or reprimand upon someone
transitive- After being caught cheating on the final exam, the professor decided to castigate the student.
- The judge castigated the defendant with a harsh sentence of ten years in prison.
- The coach castigated the players for their lack of effort during practice.
- In medieval times, kings would often castigate rebels by publicly executing them.
- The parents decided to castigate their disobedient child by grounding him for a month.