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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in punitive
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punishing
Evan A. Feigenbaum, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
In an interview with The Athletic last month, Diggins described the feeling of finishing one of the most punishing endurance tests in all of sports.
—Zack Pierce, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
In one of them, he’s accused of punishing the supervisors who tried to protect the officer Pearson punished for turning down his advances.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
Restaurant cooking is a demanding, often punishing career with few formal benefits.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 3 Jan. 2025
Right now, Biden is seeking something — anything — that will cause future generations to view his presidency in a positive light, but nothing can change what will certainly be history’s punishing judgement of Biden’s blundering performance over the last four years.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2025
Diverting people experiencing mental health crises into specialized courts offers a path forward, addressing root causes rather than punishing actions.
—Letitia James, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025
Congress is pushing administrators to go further, with a bipartisan consensus forming around punishing students who question pro-Israel policies.
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
Teams might be more reticent to part ways with first-round picks because of the new CBA, which features punishing restrictions for the league's most expensive rosters.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
But punishing that behavior means bringing the hammer down on Vietnam, hardly a step that would win Washington strategic support in Hanoi, where a new leadership dominated by public security and military officials actually sees eye to eye with China in some areas.
—Evan A. Feigenbaum, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
In an interview with The Athletic last month, Diggins described the feeling of finishing one of the most punishing endurance tests in all of sports.
—Zack Pierce, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
In one of them, he’s accused of punishing the supervisors who tried to protect the officer Pearson punished for turning down his advances.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
Restaurant cooking is a demanding, often punishing career with few formal benefits.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 3 Jan. 2025
Right now, Biden is seeking something — anything — that will cause future generations to view his presidency in a positive light, but nothing can change what will certainly be history’s punishing judgement of Biden’s blundering performance over the last four years.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2025
Diverting people experiencing mental health crises into specialized courts offers a path forward, addressing root causes rather than punishing actions.
—Letitia James, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025
Congress is pushing administrators to go further, with a bipartisan consensus forming around punishing students who question pro-Israel policies.
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
Teams might be more reticent to part ways with first-round picks because of the new CBA, which features punishing restrictions for the league's most expensive rosters.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing
Adjective
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Proactive Regulatory Engagement Rather than awaiting punitive laws, leaders should shape ethical norms: • Fairness Pledges: Company commitments to cap surge pricing during crises, like natural disasters.—
Durga Krishnamoorthy,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
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The same person that says this is daycare, games, goofing around, not punitive enough.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Verb
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The Supreme Court makes ultimate decisions about disciplining judges.—
News Service Of Florida,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2025
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Columbia’s decision to comply with federal demands, including disciplining students and restructuring governance, was framed by the university as a pragmatic step to preserve critical research funding and avoid operational crises[2][3].—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Finally, Assad’s fall has fueled domestic discontent among loyalists to the regime in Tehran, with some calling the loss a strategic blunder and openly criticizing the government on state television.—
Hamidreza Azizi,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Dec. 2024
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Shiney-Ajay said Harris should have spent additional time criticizing lawmakers—like Manchin and Congressional Republicans—who limited the administration's climate goals, using it as a chance to emphasize her intent to seek greater climate victories in the future.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Through training and patience, owners can work on correcting the inappropriate barking behavior.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Jan. 2025
-
The French formulation contains a blend of oils that nourish the hair while correcting its color.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
31 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishing. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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