as in penalized
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
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Recent Examples of punished
The appeals court found that the sentence punished Peters for maintaining that there was fraud in the 2020 election.
—
ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Any violence committed against an uninvolved third party in response to a crime is itself a new crime that can be justly repelled or punished.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of residents marched through the streets Saturday demanding accountability and declaring a strike until the perpetrators were punished.
—Omar Albam, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Maria was not punished, and the couple reunited in Paris.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Mar. 2026
The Department of Homeland Security and Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees operations at the detention center, have denied allegations of inhumane conditions at the facility, including reports from detainees that they were punished by being placed in an outdoor cage.
—Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
But whoever might be convicted will be lightly punished.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
Under state law, someone prosecuted for a second-degree felony could be punished with a sentence of one to 15 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
Networks don’t need to be directly punished to know that a consequence is on the table.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Any violence committed against an uninvolved third party in response to a crime is itself a new crime that can be justly repelled or punished.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of residents marched through the streets Saturday demanding accountability and declaring a strike until the perpetrators were punished.
—Omar Albam, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Maria was not punished, and the couple reunited in Paris.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Mar. 2026
The Department of Homeland Security and Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees operations at the detention center, have denied allegations of inhumane conditions at the facility, including reports from detainees that they were punished by being placed in an outdoor cage.
—Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
But whoever might be convicted will be lightly punished.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
Under state law, someone prosecuted for a second-degree felony could be punished with a sentence of one to 15 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
Networks don’t need to be directly punished to know that a consequence is on the table.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punished
Verb
-
DeBrincat opened the scoring by converting a rebound in front five seconds after Josh Norris was penalized for high sticking.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Under California law, prisoners seeking parole may not be penalized for failing to admit wrongdoing, so Kovacich’s claim of innocence was not used against him, Tellman said.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He was fined about $120 and released.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Moments after the game, Nacua doubled down on his referee criticism in a tweet, for which he was later fined $25,000.—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Following his 2018 conviction, Williams was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Fernandez’s boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, was sentenced to death in 2018, and his automatic appeal petition is currently pending in California Supreme Court.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Before joining the Administration, Rogers practiced as a First Amendment lawyer whose clients included Charlie Kirk and Douglass Mackey, an alt-right meme poster who had been convicted of voter suppression, a charge that was later overturned.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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More than 62% of those arrested and removed last year had never been convicted of a crime, while more than a third had no criminal history.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Last season during a livestream, Nacua criticized NFL officials and made a gesture regarded as antisemitic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Canada's Prime Minister and Quebec's legislature criticized the CEO for the language lapse.—
Allison Lampert,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
They weren't convinced and referred him to be disciplined.—
Martin Kaste,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will not be disciplined by the NFL following a league investigation into allegations raised in a January social media post by a woman identifying herself as his former girlfriend.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jets owner Woody Johnson even chastised Fields for his poor play after the team began the season 0-7.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
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He was chastised by a federal judge after using chemical agents in residential neighborhoods, violating a judge's order to curb their use.—
Julia Ainsley,
NBC news,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While star trackers mounted on Orion indicate where the vehicle is pointing, potential misalignments between the star trackers and the communications terminal can only be fully measured and corrected once in space.—
Adam Bluestein,
Scientific American,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The eatery scored 49 in a follow-up inspection and inspectors noted that the outstanding violations were not corrected.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punished. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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