PUNISHING Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

punishing 1 of 2

adjective

as in punitive

Related Words

Relevance

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

If the teams refuse to enroll the players who benefit from the TRO, those players could petition Hoffman to clarify that his order also blocks the SEC from punishing schools. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Tristan described life at the Federal Detention Center as physically and psychologically punishing. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 The Native community had its own ways of punishing wrongdoers, but Stevens’ role was to protect her client’s constitutional rights. — Mackenzie Farkus, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 Years and years of punishing sanctions have limited how much further action the United States can take. — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 That has raised questions about whether another punishing economic campaign can really bend — or break — Iran's ruling establishment. — Arezou Rezvani, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026 Iran has weathered near-continuous, punishing economic sanctions for nearly 50 years, since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026 The punishing financial verdicts against Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, in recent years have forced him into bankruptcy, led to some of his personal property being put up for auction and led to him leaving his Infowars platform. — Jim Vertuno, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 Summary The market is in turmoil over AI, punishing companies regardless of their strategy. — Jemma Green, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing

Adjective

The Department of Defense attempted to blacklist Anthropic in February after the company refused to remove restrictions on its AI models being used for autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance, a move widely seen as punitive.

— Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Defense attorneys described their confinement as effectively punitive segregation even though the brothers had not committed disciplinary violations.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of punitive

Verb

According to attorneys representing the players, the injunction allows the plaintiffs to compete during the upcoming season and prevents the NCAA from penalizing schools or coaches for putting them on their rosters.

— Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, aims to hurt Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by penalizing purchasers of Russian oil and Russian leaders.

— Irit Skulnik, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of penalizing

Verb

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
In July, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also cited Lineage for rodent and pest-control violations, fining the company $500 per day until the violations were corrected.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of fining

Verb

Nonetheless the school pressed forward with disciplining the students.

— Daniel Rivero, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
The Illinois House committee will not decide Ammons’ guilt but will determine whether the facts support disciplining her as a House member — a process that could range from no penalty to expulsion.

— Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of disciplining

Verb

Republican lawmaker Carl DeMaio of San Diego has vocalized his opposition in discussions of the bill, criticizing the idea of providing funding to outlets that make political endorsements.

— Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Yiannopoulos rose to prominence through his provocative statements criticizing political correctness, feminism and Islam.

— Chris Arnold, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of criticizing

Verb

But if convicted, the judge would have the option of sentencing him as a juvenile, as an adult or imposing a juvenile sentence that could convert to an adult sentence if he is not rehabilitated.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
The state should provide pathways to employment for these individuals rather than sentencing them to jail time when possible, said Sharp-Collins in the Assembly.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of sentencing

Verb

As starlight streams through the telescope, those actuators subtly reshape the mirrors in real time, correcting for imperfections in the telescope's optics smaller than the width of a strand of DNA.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Here’s how to figure out the cause, along with tips for correcting and preventing the problem.

— Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of correcting

Verb

Seconds later, Vitello was tossed from the game and a hot mic caught third base umpire Lance Barrett chastising the Giants manager.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
When the House Committee smeared me on TV and sent letters chastising Northwestern during the Biden administration, suddenly my Palestine solidarity speech became a fireable offense.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2026

Definition of chastising

Browse Nearby Words

punishes

punishing

punishment

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of punishing

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes