BANISHING Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

banishing

verb

present participle of banish

as in exiling

to force to leave a country in the old days, criminals were sometimes banished to distant lands

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dismissing

to drive or force out permanently banished the troublemakers from the youth recreational center

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 banishing But being intellectually skeptical of something is not the same as banishing it from one’s existence. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 29 June 2026 Between the trauma his father inflicted on him, banishing him, calling him weak, giving him a scar and pitting him against his sister — along with his mother being taken — Zuko gives into his darker impulses. — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 The panel supports smooth, competitive esports gameplay with a fast 165Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time, together banishing motion blur. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026 For Removing Mildew & Musty Smells If your clothes have a mildewy, musty smell, then vinegar can save the day by banishing these unwanted odors. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 June 2026 This year’s sequel climaxes with Grace hijacking her second wedding to a Satanic heir by killing him and banishing his oligarchical cabal to hell. — Judy Berman, Time, 27 May 2026 Latz has picked up the past four saves for Texas, banishing Jakob Junis to a supporting role. — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 11 May 2026 Angels could be seen all around — some on the walls depicting Moses' life and death, and another above, on Michelangelo’s fresco, banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. — ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 Was banishing Natalie Anderson Tara’s ultimate undoing? — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for banishing

Verb

The anti-Zionist project of ending Israel’s existence as a Jewish state implies killing, subjugating, or re-exiling more than half of the world’s Jewish population.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Ruthlessly exiling those players sent a clear message about the importance of squad harmony, but arguably handed the leverage in negotiations to buying clubs, driving down their prices and delaying their departures.

— James McNicholas, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

Definition of exiling

Verb

Exxon was far from alone in its historical awareness of CO₂ and rigorous research into its ongoing ecological impacts—and in its subsequent shift toward dismissing or denying the veracity of its own science.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Developer Senko Rasic argued in post that went viral - that dismissing coding as never having been the hard part insults programmers.

— Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismissing

Verb

Livingetc warns against relegating one partner’s belongings to a single corner or spare room while the rest of the home reflects the other person’s taste.

— Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 July 2026
Perhaps its most red card-worthy offense was relegating Kuno Becker’s charismatic lead — the series’ only mainstay — to bit part, focusing instead on two new England internationals without an ounce of personality.

— Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026

Definition of relegating

Verb

When individuals and institutions have spoken out against policy toward Israel, the president has wielded the power of the state to attack them, withholding funding from universities and deporting and jailing protesters.

— Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026
Trump in his second term has set an aggressive goal of deporting one million individuals annually.

— Justin Papp, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of deporting

Verb

But sometimes, some corals on a reef bleach while others don’t, and in other cases corals under heat stress die without expelling their algae.

— Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Sánchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, touted his country's quick turnaround in expelling nearly all of the 50,000-60,000 migrants who crossed the border back to Morocco.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of expelling

Verb

Now that same board is evicting Aust and nearly 100 other patients from the Silverado Beach Cities Memory Care Community.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
The ordinance would require landlords to provide a valid reason before evicting a tenant or declining to renew their lease.

— Megan De Mar, CBS News, 29 June 2026

Definition of evicting

Browse Nearby Words

banishes

banishing

banishment

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Banishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banishing. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of banishing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on banishing

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

baptism of fire

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes