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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in horrible
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
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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
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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
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Recent Examples of punk
Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The five smudge shades are named after punk music culture.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
Paulina Berges, Glamour, 19 July 2025
Beau, played hapless and pitiable by Joaquin Phoenix, can’t go five minutes without dodging violent street punks, or fielding calls from his emotionally abusive mother, or narrowly escaping gunfire.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Adjective
Dammers’s recollection of this time will strike a chord with many people who were there:
For me, reggae made punk gigs bearable.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The five smudge shades are named after punk music culture.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star became the uniform of rockers and punks, though even Princess Diana was known to don a pair.
—Paulina Berges, Glamour, 19 July 2025
Beau, played hapless and pitiable by Joaquin Phoenix, can’t go five minutes without dodging violent street punks, or fielding calls from his emotionally abusive mother, or narrowly escaping gunfire.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punk
Adjective
-
In his short stint in Scranton, that number has come down a hair, but still resides at an unacceptable 29.4%.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
-
Mistakes should not be viewed as failures or unacceptable setbacks, but rather as calculated risks—necessary steps in the iterative journey of progress.—
Davide Sartini,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Because of Denise Gough's human frailty as a woman destroyed by her own ambition and Kyle Soller's cowardice in the face of a horrible truth.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
23 July 2025
-
Soak up the gall of losing, absorb the horrible information, feel it to the full, go there—and then rebound, with superb elasticity.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Not every mosquito carries West Nile virus, and not everyone who contracts the virus will get sick.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
28 July 2025
-
Cena took the opportunity to chug water to avoid getting sick.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
For seasoned cooks and kitchen novices, cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller takes it back to basics with great, family-friendly recipes worth making over and over again.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
-
These tools power cybercrime, automating sophisticated attacks and enabling novices to deploy phishing, malware or social engineering campaigns with ease.—
Skip Sanzeri,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
The 18th Street thugs then attacked a second victim with large wooden planks, causing lacerations that required sutures.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
-
Plus, she wasn’t forced to live in a remote jungle compound surrounded by gun-toting thugs, because no one was coming after her.—
Sam Kelly,
Time,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Jorge was seen dropping off a black garbage bag near the building’s boiler room after the victim was discovered, neighbors said.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
27 July 2025
-
In cities, they are often seen soaring above garbage dumps, marketplaces and riverbanks, scavenging for scraps and small prey.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
Adjective
-
Anxiety about your bowel habits may stem from the belief that there’s something wrong with them.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
30 July 2025
-
If the calculation is wrong, everything downstream—equipment selection, duct sizing, airflow balancing—will also be off.—
Brynn Cooksey,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
My heart goes out to all of the Jewish children, grandchildren and future great-grandchildren who must ultimately bear the brunt of the terrible additional worldwide antisemitism caused directly by the horrific actions of the Israeli government over the past two years.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Friday was particularly unsettling as terrible jobs data slammed the market and triggered President Donald Trump .—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punk. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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