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
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
In punishing heat, more people wore masks as the stench of decomposition spread. — Regina Cano Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026 Americans across the nation are being asked (or ordered) to conserve water, thanks to widespread drought made even worse by a punishing heat wave. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 July 2026 But trimming up perennials does take effort, which isn't always enjoyable in the punishing heat and humidity of midsummer. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 June 2026 The 33-year-old Rodriguez, known for his explosive striking, aims to avoid a punishing 145-pound weight cut and seek a fresh start after recent losses. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Wall Street is increasingly punishing Big Tech companies for spending on AI without profits to justify it. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 July 2026 What Argentina don’t do particularly proficiently, for all their strengths, is offer a serious threat on the counter-attack, punishing opponents for pushing forward. — Michael Cox, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Meanwhile, Bobby is soft-launching his relationship, which leads to Chane punishing Bobby by firing his restaurant partner, the Goose to Bobby’s Maverick. — Rafael Motamayor, Variety, 24 June 2026 The three-hour exam, which tests students on physics, chemistry and biology in a multiple-choice format, is among the country’s most punishing tests along with its engineering counterpart, the JEE, both demanding years of near-total devotion. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing
  1. punitive
  2. penalizing
  3. fining
  4. disciplining
  5. criticizing
  6. sentencing
  7. correcting
  8. chastising
Adjective
  • Caught between two opposing cultures, drawing on a cache of letters, documents, and remembrances, Ferrer meticulously recounts the travails of one migrant family and a punitive legal system that dogged them, skewering ideals of equity and fairness.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
  • The solution, therefore, cannot rely solely on punitive anti-cheating measures or intrusive surveillance technologies.
    — Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026
Definition of punitive
Verb
  • The divergence shows investors are rewarding those making the key parts of the AI buildout, especially chips, and penalizing those paying for it.
    — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 1 July 2026
  • Cell phones in work zones Senate Bill 366 cracks down on distracted driving by penalizing motorists who use cell phones in construction and school zones.
    — Matthew Kelly July 1, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of penalizing
Verb
  • After fining Coupang in June over a massive 2025 data breach, South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said the personal information of more than 37 million people had been exposed, including 33 million Coupang customers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
  • The idea of taxing, fining or otherwise demanding revenue from companies whose employees qualify for Medicaid is being debated in several states.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Definition of fining
Verb
  • Current House rules allow any one lawmaker to force a vote on disciplining a colleague, setting the stage for censure clashes that have frequently become retaliatory grudge matches.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
  • The lawsuit alleges a line of district attorneys from 1980 through 2012 fostered the culture that allowed such a practice to take root, often by not disciplining prosecutors who allegedly excluded certain jurors in violation of the Constitution.
    — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Definition of disciplining
Verb
  • Acknowledging and even criticizing our mistakes of the past doesn’t cheapen one’s love for the United States.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • The movie continues its tradition of addressing social issues, this time focusing on human equality and colonial looting, with pointed dialogue criticizing the British Empire.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of criticizing
Verb
  • Wednesday is sentencing day for Rex Heuermann, long the suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killer case that has loomed over Long Island for more than three decades.
    — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 17 June 2026
  • This week, a jury in McKinney, Texas convicted 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony of murder, sentencing him to 35 years in prison for the killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet in April 2025.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2026
Definition of sentencing
Verb
  • For decades, beauty has focused on correcting the visible effects of stress.
    — Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Fernandez and Iglesias walked around, correcting students and teaching them the proper footing and hand technique.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
Definition of correcting
Verb
  • Daemon chastising Ulf and Hugh over their disobedience, sowing the seeds of their discontent.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • So the painting, which is an image of a maternal figure chastising her child, kind of foreshadows the plot.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 June 2026
Definition of chastising

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Cite this Entry

“Punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishing. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of punishing for Spanish Speakers

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