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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in punitive
Related Words
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
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Hours before the suspension was announced, Carr raised the idea of punishing local television stations that continued to air Kimmel’s show.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Before Kirk’s death, the White House had been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for an executive order aimed at punishing flag burning.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
The surface of Mars is a harsher environment than any desert on Earth, given the enormous temperature swings and punishing UV radiation.
—Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Big Think, 17 Sep. 2025
This is likely to prevent the bloc from punishing other nations for doing business with Moscow, when the EU does so too — albeit at a far lower level than before the Ukraine war began in 2022.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
But even this nod to forgiveness is relatively punishing, since the health refill freezes your character in a defenseless pose for a few seconds.
—ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent a trade delegation to the US in a bid to roll back punishing tariffs imposed by Washington.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Beijing has long rejected Western pressure to help stop Russia's war in Ukraine by punishing Moscow.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
But then, less than two years later, a punishing atmospheric river storm sent a large redwood tree crashing down the steep slopes of the forest, slamming into the main bridge and causing other damage to the new facilities.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Hours before the suspension was announced, Carr raised the idea of punishing local television stations that continued to air Kimmel’s show.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Before Kirk’s death, the White House had been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for an executive order aimed at punishing flag burning.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
The surface of Mars is a harsher environment than any desert on Earth, given the enormous temperature swings and punishing UV radiation.
—Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Big Think, 17 Sep. 2025
This is likely to prevent the bloc from punishing other nations for doing business with Moscow, when the EU does so too — albeit at a far lower level than before the Ukraine war began in 2022.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
But even this nod to forgiveness is relatively punishing, since the health refill freezes your character in a defenseless pose for a few seconds.
—ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent a trade delegation to the US in a bid to roll back punishing tariffs imposed by Washington.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Beijing has long rejected Western pressure to help stop Russia's war in Ukraine by punishing Moscow.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing
Verb
-
Flexibility alone isn’t enough—promotion criteria must avoid penalizing remote or hybrid workers and career pathways should accommodate different life and caregiving stages without stalling advancement.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
That delay reflects the high stakes and complex constitutional questions surrounding the case, which has been viewed as a test of how far state officials can go in penalizing corporate misconduct.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The problem last season was many teams still opted to kick the ball in the end zone because the touchback wasn't punitive enough.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Relief from punitive tax rules could fuel profitability, but only for those ready to meet the federal government’s new demands.—
Robert Hoban,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The regulatory landscape is responding accordingly, with Italy recently fining OpenAI €15 million over transparency and privacy controls.—
Vinod Bijlani,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The resulting wine is then bottled without fining or filtration.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
On Thursday, Adam Schefter relayed a message from NFL official Brian McCarthy explaining that the league will not be disciplining Jackson in any way for shoving the fan.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
This five-step sequence is less about distrusting AI than about disciplining ourselves.—
Ted Ladd,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Trump’s former national security adviser then resumed criticizing his foreign policy on Ukraine.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
-
After a particularly bad at-bat in the seventh inning of Thursday's game, manager John Schneider didn't shy away from criticizing the franchise player and sounding the alarm on the offense as a whole.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Four other defendants in the Perry case, including two doctors, will also face sentencing over the next three months to bring an end to the matter, at least legally.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Durkin wound up sentencing Morgan to 32 years.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Guards also help fine-tune the software by reviewing alerts during quiet overnight hours, correcting mistakes and labeling edge cases.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Just this past offseason Miami put an emphasis on fortifying the trenches, correcting a past wrong, adding players with size and girth on the offensive and defensive line via the NFL Draft.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If your child has already tried the trend, according to experts, parents should refrain from chastising them or using scare tactics.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
21 Aug. 2025
-
This after having spent days talking about the possibility of ceding Ukrainian territory as part of some sort of agreement, and chastising Ukraine — invaded unprovoked by a much larger neighbor — of starting the war itself.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishing. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share