Chastising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To express criticism or disapproval towards someone's actions through stern reprimand or admonishment
2. To sharply reprimand or scold someone for their behavior or mistakes
3. The act of severely rebuking a person to show disapproval of their conduct

Etymology: "Chastising" is the present participle of "chastise", so its history is that of the verb. "Chastise" came into Middle English as "chastisen", borrowed from Old French "chastier", which in turn descends from the Latin "castigare", meaning to correct or punish. The Latin word was built on "castus", "pure" or "chaste", so its original sense was roughly to make something pure by correcting it. That shared root explains a family of English relatives. "Chaste" comes from the same Latin adjective, and "castigate" is a direct borrowing of the Latin verb itself, while "chasten" is another doublet that passed through French. All of them keep the idea of purifying through correction, though "chastise" and "chasten" have drifted furthest toward the sense of punishment.

Synonyms: punishing, reprimanding, scolding, rebuking, admonishing

Antonyms: praising, rewarding, commending, lauding, celebrating