Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- transitive v. To correct by punishment or reproof; take to task.
- transitive v. To restrain; subdue: chasten a proud spirit.
- transitive v. To rid of excess; refine or purify: chasten a careless writing style.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- v. To punish (in order to bring about improvement in behavior, attitude, etc.); to restrain, moderate
- v. To make chaste; to purify.
- v. To punish or reprimand for the sake of improvement; to discipline.
- v. To render humble or restrained.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- transitive v. To correct by punishment; to inflict pain upon the purpose of reclaiming; to discipline.
- transitive v. To purify from errors or faults; to refine.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To inflict pain, trouble, or affliction on for the purpose of reclaiming from evil; correct; chastise; punish: formerly of corporal punishment, but now, chiefly with a moral reference, of disciplinary affliction.
- To purify by discipline, as the taste; refine; make chaste: as, to chasten the imagination, the taste, or one's style.
- Synonyms Punish, etc. See chastise.
- n. See chesten.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- v. censure severely
- v. correct by punishment or discipline
- v. restrain
Etymologies
Examples
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This is a classic example of deliberate capital flight and capital destruction, a tactic used by monopolistic finance capital frequently to "chasten" any government that appears to be intruding into the sacred practices of "free market" capitalism.
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For all her whining that it's actually her that has been wronged, for all Fox News' post-speech takeaway that the president's speech absolved them from any culpability in the dangerous turn in public political discourse, I can't help but hope that the deaths in Tucson will chasten them, just a little.
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There's more but that should be enough to duly chasten those of us treating the Scottish bard with unwarranted southern Californian familiarity.
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The decision shouldn't chasten common or garden variety celebs.
Sunday Mirror eludes Ferdinand offside trap, but it's no reprieve for 'kiss and tell' | Andrew Scott
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We need to place the blame where it belongs, to chasten our policy elites.
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Government sources explained that it is meant to "chasten" Pakistan for expelling American trainers and to press the army to take on the entire array of militants on Pakistani soil.
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How trying it must be to have only suggestion, rather than force, with which to chasten the euro zone's bunglers and their tiresome democratic mandates.
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This cost at least two seats in the Senate, and it ought to chasten tea partiers who want House Republicans to perform immediate miracles.
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The flap over the leak did nothing to chasten the Pentagon.
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Only now was not the time to chasten her, not with all the others watching.
bilby commented on the word chasten
Belligerent fruit of the Lord of Astray, go to hell!
April 7, 2011
Kristianto2010 commented on the word chasten
No chastening seems to be joyful for the present . . . ; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. — Hebrews 12:11
April 7, 2011