chasten

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 16, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>chasten</strong> &#149; \CHAY-sun\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p>To chasten someone is to cause them to feel sad or embarrassed about something that has happened, or in other words, to make them feel more humble or restrained.</p> <p>// He was arrogant as a young man, but he has been <em>chastened</em> by life's hardships and is now more cognizant of his own failings and weaknesses.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chasten">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"AutoPacific asked people looking to buy a new vehicle about their interest in 11 different ... features, starting with a data plan for the car for a hypothetical price of $15/month. The results may <em>chasten</em> some of the investors demanding that the car companies keep traveling down this path. The most in-demand or desirable feature was Internet connection with a Wi-Fi hotspot.... But only 30 percent of people looking to buy a new car said they were interested in paying for their car's Internet access." — Jonathan M. Gitlin, <em>Ars Technica</em>, 24 Mar. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buck%20up">Buck up</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/logophile">logophiles</a>! There’s no need to fret if you have a hard time sussing out the finer distinctions between <em>chasten</em>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/castigate"><em>castigate</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chastise"><em>chastise</em></a>, three verbs with overlapping histories and meanings. All three come (via different routes) from the Latin verb <em>castīgāre</em>, meaning "to punish," and all have been used to refer to physical punishment, but today are