PUNISHING Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

punishing 1 of 2

adjective

as in punitive

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punishing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of punish

as in penalizing

to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime the child was punished for breaking dishes on purpose if caught, the thief will be severely punished

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of punishing

Adjective

The tragedy unfolds amid a punishing Western wildfire season driven by dry weather, scant snowpack, heat and erratic winds. — Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 Pair him with Sharpe, and the Nets could build one of the league’s most punishing center rotations on the glass. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026 Instead, left under the most punishing economic sanctions Cubans have known in their lives, the island may slowly wither and die. — Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026 First introduced in 1944, the multi-purpose off-roader with portal axles has been used as the basis for military, emergency, and commercial vehicles in some of the most punishing environments around the world. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2025 But the new government, led by former rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad, is urging US lawmakers to repeal the most punishing sanctions isolating Syria from the world economy. — Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Verb

The course is august and sweeping, with long straights and punishing curves, framed by the tall pine trees of a former royal park. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 In addition to punishing women who seek the priesthood, the Catholic Church has also sanctioned male clergy who support those ordinations. — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 Her fifth show, Calm Down, is not just a reference to the catch phrase of one of her characters or a catch-all for what most desire in this punishing news cycle from which there seems to be no escape. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026 Infiniti plays math prodigy Julia Fischer, who is recruited into an elite prep course culminating in the most punishing exam in mathematics. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 Johnson is betting the trade-off — an aggressive, paint-punishing offense with the potential to give opposing defenses night sweats — will be worth the gamble. — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026 Ukraine now faces the prospect of punishing winter barrages on its electricity and other energy installations by an emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin. — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026 Seeing that gave Novick hope that the criminal justice system might serve a greater purpose beyond simply punishing those who break the law. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026 Both a federal district court and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state was not targeting or punishing Catholic preschools because of their faith. — Preston Green Iii, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing

Adjective

In recent years, affirmative litigation has become an essential tool for defending against punitive federal policy and recovering public funds, Pines and others said.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Trump has slapped tariffs on the Brazilian economy and punitive sanctions on Alexandre de Moraes, the chief justice most heavily involved in the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of punitive

Verb

Miami seized the win by playing a disciplined brand of football for the first time, not penalizing themselves in critical moments.

— Omar Kelly October 25, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
The terms of the injunction prevent the NCAA from penalizing Council for playing, or KU for playing him.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of penalizing

Verb

In his appeal, Juszczyk also argued that fining players for pretending to drink beer was hypocritical given the NFL’s beer sponsorships.

— Rick Maese, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Players are simply not going to hold back because their coaches say, or the NFL is fining their beloved club.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of fining

Verb

Witch fever, by this point in history, had become a mechanism for brutally regulating and disciplining female behavior, and doing so intergenerationally.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
But instead of disciplining the officer, officers were sent to arrest Gibbons.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of disciplining

Verb

Pentecostal parents Ruth and Marius were accused of domestic violence, with worldwide protests criticizing what dissenters called harsh and hasty steps taken by Norwegian social workers without proper evidence.

— Tomris Laffly, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Cofer is criticizing Guerra’s absence from the vote and is asking him to publicly state his position on the partnership.

— Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticizing

Verb

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador had turned what was once the world’s deadliest country into one of its safest, largely by rounding up tens of thousands of young men and sentencing them to prison in mass trials.

— Jack Nicas, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Would programs like Alabama, Georgia and Texas bolt as opposed to sentencing themselves to the rigors of an SEC schedule for little reward?

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of sentencing

Verb

The summary also said the safety manager responsible for walking around the warehouse daily and correcting issues failed to notice the unguarded part of the shear machine.

— Myla S. Roundy, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
Coach Karl Smesko said the Dream focused on correcting defensive breakdowns, rebounding and improving their offense after reviewing film.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of correcting

Verb

So, by making this offer to you, you side-step chastising her and instead give feedback that can help you both to have better visits in the future.

— R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Unifor officials in Canada are chastising Stellantis, while United Auto Workers leaders in the United States are showing measured hope for Belvidere.

— Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of chastising

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“Punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishing. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of punishing

adjective

verb

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