Adjacent Words

Chasten definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CHASTEN, v.t.
1. To correct by punishment; to punish; to inflict pain for the purpose of reclaiming an offender; as, to chasten a son with a rod.
I will chasten him with the rod of men. 1 Samuel 7.
2. To afflict by other means.
As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Revelation 3.
3. To purify from errors or faults.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: censure severely; "She chastised him for his insensitive remarks" [syn: chastise, castigate, objurgate, chasten, correct]
2: restrain [syn: chasten, moderate, temper]
3: correct by punishment or discipline [syn: tame, chasten, subdue]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (chastened; chastening) Etymology: alteration of obsolete English chaste to chasten, from Middle English, from Anglo-French chastier, from Latin castigare, from castus + -igare (from agere to drive) — more at act Date: 13th century 1. to correct by punishment or suffering ; discipline; also purify 2. a. to prune (as a work or style of art) of excess, pretense, or falsity ; refine b. to cause to be more humble or restrained ; subdue Synonyms: see punish • chastener noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 (esp. as chastening, chastened adjs.) subdue, restrain (a chastening experience; chastened by his failure). 2 discipline, punish. 3 moderate. Derivatives: chastener n. Etymology: obs. chaste (v.) f. OF chastier f. L castigare CASTIGATE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Chasten Chas"ten (ch[=a]"s'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chastened (-s'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Chastening.] [OE. chastien, OF. Chastier, F. Ch?tier, fr. L. castigare to punish, chastise; castus pure + agere to lead, drive. See Chaste, Act, and cf. Castigate, Chastise.] 1. To correct by punishment; to inflict pain upon the purpose of reclaiming; to discipline; as, to chasten a son with a rod. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth. --Heb. xii. 6. 2. To purify from errors or faults; to refine. They [classics] chasten and enlarge the mind, and excite to noble actions. --Layard. Syn: To chastise; punish; correct; discipline; castigate; afflict; subdue; purify. Usage: To Chasten, Punish, Chastise. To chasten is to subject to affliction or trouble, in order to produce a general change for the better in life or character. To punish is to inflict penalty for violation of law, disobedience to authority, or intentional wrongdoing. To chastise is to punish a particular offense, as with stripes, especially with the hope that suffering or disgrace may prevent a repetition of faults.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(chastens, chastening, chastened) If you are chastened by something, it makes you regret that you have behaved badly or stupidly. (FORMAL) He has clearly not been chastened by his thirteen days in detention... A chastened Agassi flew home for a period of deep contemplation. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed by n, V-ed, also be V-ed into n/-ing • chastened The President now seems a more chastened and less confident politician than when he set out a week ago. ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Discipline by affliction, correct, humble, bring low. 2. Purify, refine, render subdued, toned down.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, allay, alleviate, assuage, attemper, bank the fire, blunt, bring to account, bring to book, call to account, castigate, chastise, constrain, control, correct, curb, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deal with, diminish, discipline, downplay, dull, extenuate, inflict upon, keep within bounds, lay, lenify, lessen, lighten, masthead, mitigate, moderate, modulate, obtund, palliate, penalize, pillory, play down, punish, purify, reduce, reduce the temperature, repress, restrain, settle with, simplify, slacken, slow down, smother, sober, sober down, soften, square accounts, stifle, subdue, suppress, take to task, tame, temper, tone down, tune down, underplay, visit upon, weaken