1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
I've been feeling punk today
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in novice
a person who is just starting out in a field of activity
an impertinent punk who was trying to tell senior colleagues how to do their jobs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the vigilante was hailed by some as a hero for standing up to the punks who had repeatedly threatened his family
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in garbage
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
claims made by cosmetic companies about their antiaging creams that turned out to be a lot of punk
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of punk
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
The post-punk-rock band Tigers In Cairo was voted Best New Artist.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2026
Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Theater is not for punks, okay?
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punk
Adjective
Led by the magnetic Tom Peter, the prolific lo-fi post-punk band out of Australia adds a human drummer and turns in a 23-minute burst of nonstop fun and creativity.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
The post-punk-rock band Tigers In Cairo was voted Best New Artist.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2026
Noun
Cold As Life during the late 1980s and early 1990s and had a reputation as a larger-than-life personality in the city’s punk community.
—Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Theater is not for punks, okay?
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punk
Adjective
-
For a city in the grip of a housing crisis, that delay was unacceptable.—
Michelle de la Uz,
New York Daily News,
13 May 2026
-
Bans on unacceptable-risk AI have applied since February 2025, according to the European Commission.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Residents describe ‘a terrible night’ More than 30 people were injured in the apartment building collapse, while emergency workers rescued 28 residents, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
And some were not kind to him on social media following the terrible first round.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
That night, both the President and his wife periodically fled upstairs to check on their most beloved son, the eleven-year-old Willie, sick with a fever that would kill him two weeks later.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Sheriff investigators described Pickles as a novice operator of the boat.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
-
Taylor Swift just wore the most romantic summer hairstyle that any novice can achieve.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
-
White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Some argue that parking, sewer and garbage – the infrastructure designed for single-family homes – is being stretched too thin.—
Lee Cowan,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
-
However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.—
David Troy,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
The following seasons saw a wrong turn and regression to the point where many supporters gave up.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
For most people, this is where the cocktail goes wrong.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Which is horrible, just that amount of women being murdered.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
-
Hmmm, a book about climate change, economic hardship, labor shortages, rising food prices, and a family having a horrible time?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punk. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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