Chaste vs chased

Chaste and chased are two commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words chaste and chased, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.

Chaste is an adjective that describes someone who is faithful to his or her spouse or who is not sexually active at all. Chaste may also mean pure, virtuous or simple. The word chaste is derived from the Latin word castus, which means morally pure or clean.

Chased is the past tense of chase, a verb that means to pursue, to trail someone, to attempt to attain something, to woo someone. The word chased is derived from Old French word chacier, which means to hunt. Related words are chase, chases, chasing, chaser.

Examples

When students inquired, the Honor Code Office stated that chaste, romantic behavior was permitted for both heterosexual and LGBTQ students. (The Salt Lake Tribune)

Eilish often cites the influence on her art of the brash and iconoclastic LA rapper-producer Tyler, the Creator, but her musical idol growing up was far more chaste: angel-voiced, mop-topped Justin Bieber. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

A Simi Valley resident was reportedly chased by a stranger wielding a knife after finding the man in his vehicle Monday evening, officials said. (Ventura County Star)

“I chased her all those years, and she wouldn’t have anything to do with me,” Phillip said. (The Virginian-Pilot)