What does chaste mean?
"Chaste" is an adjective describing someone who abstains from sexual activity, particularly by choice, religious vow, or moral principle — a monk may take a vow to remain chaste, for instance. By extension, it describes anything marked by purity, simplicity, or restraint: a chaste design avoids ornamentation, and a chaste romance is one of modest affection rather than physical passion. The word derives from the Latin "castus," meaning pure or cut off from defect, which also gives us "chastity," "chasten," and "chastise." Today it reads as somewhat formal and literary, carrying strong connotations of virtue, modesty, and self-discipline, and it is most at home in religious, historical, or elevated contexts. Applied to art or writing, calling something chaste is generally praise: it suggests an elegance achieved through what has been deliberately left out.
Abstaining from sexual activity; celibate, especially by vow or religious principle.
"According to tradition, the knights were required to remain chaste during their years of service."
Often used in religious or historical contexts.
Simple, pure, and restrained in style, appearance, or expression; free from excess or ornament.
"Her chaste prose style won admirers who found more ornate writers exhausting."
The same Latin root that gave us 'chaste' also gave us 'chastise' — because punishing someone was once thought of as a way of purifying them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chaste
Chaste comes from the Latin "castus," meaning pure, whole, or morally undefiled, entering English via Old French "chaste" around the thirteenth century. The same Latin root produced a family of English words including "chastity," "chasten," and "chastise" — the last reflecting the old idea that correction could purify a person. It is not related to the verb "chase," despite the visual similarity between the two words.
Related word forms
How chaste is actually used
Somewhat formal and literary in modern usage; often carries religious or moral connotations. When applied to art, writing, or design, it is a compliment suggesting elegance through restraint rather than prudishness. Increasingly less common in everyday speech than its noun form 'chastity.'
Easily confused with chaste
'Chaste' means sexually pure or morally restrained, while 'chased' is the past tense of 'chase,' meaning to pursue.