Spanish word

castigo

Pronunciation

IPA/kasˈtiɣo/

Meaning

  • masculine nounpunishment

Example

Mi madre me dio un castigo por llegar tarde.

My mother gave me a punishment for being late.

Illustration for castigo (punishment)

More examples

Trató de evitar el castigo pidiendo disculpas.

He tried to avoid punishment by apologizing.

Core concept

Disciplinary consequence for a misdeed.

Common phrases

  • castigo ejemplar

    exemplary punishment

  • evitar el castigo

    avoid punishment

  • aceptar el castigo

    accept punishment

Similar words

multa: Financial penalty ordered to be paid for violations such as traffic offenses.
sanción: Administrative or legal penalty officially applied to enforce rules or standards.
amonestación: Mild reprimand or warning given orally or in writing without formal penalties.
pena: Legal punishment decided by a judge or court after a criminal conviction.

Definition in Spanish

Medida que se impone a una persona por haber cometido una falta o un delito, con la intención de castigarla o corregir su conducta.

Word origin

From Latin castigare 'to chastise, correct', Spanish castigo names a punishment given to reprimand or correct misconduct.

Usage tips

  • Commonly used for parental or school discipline and for being 'grounded' (estar castigado), while formal legal penalties are usually called pena or sanción.

Other meanings

  • penaltynoun
  • sanctionnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • castigarpunishverb
  • castigamientopunishmentnoun
  • castigablepunishableadjective

Word lists with this word