as in punished
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
the player was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct
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Recent Examples of penalized
Booker was penalized for roughing the passer on the hit that sent Love into concussion protocol.
—
Steve Megargee, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Four Sharks and three Lightning players were penalized for a fight that involved every player on the ice except the goaltenders.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2026
Jefferson was penalized and ejected.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness, but he wasn’t ejected from the game for his second-quarter tackle during the Chargers’ 34-17 victory.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
States should be incentivized to expand Medicaid and penalized for harmful redetermination practices.
—Uché Blackstock, Time, 23 Dec. 2025
Jared Goff and Dan Campbell refused to blame the officials after the Detroit Lions were penalized two times in the final 22 seconds of a 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, with each flag negating a go-ahead touchdown.
—CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
These two teams get penalized more than anyone in the NFL.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
Because hospitals and doctors’ offices are more geographically distributed, however, female doctors are less likely than finance workers to be penalized for living in the suburbs, Liu explained; those who decide to live outside the city still have access to high-paying, nearby jobs.
—Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Steve Megargee, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Four Sharks and three Lightning players were penalized for a fight that involved every player on the ice except the goaltenders.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2026
Jefferson was penalized and ejected.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness, but he wasn’t ejected from the game for his second-quarter tackle during the Chargers’ 34-17 victory.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
States should be incentivized to expand Medicaid and penalized for harmful redetermination practices.
—Uché Blackstock, Time, 23 Dec. 2025
Jared Goff and Dan Campbell refused to blame the officials after the Detroit Lions were penalized two times in the final 22 seconds of a 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, with each flag negating a go-ahead touchdown.
—CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
These two teams get penalized more than anyone in the NFL.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025
Because hospitals and doctors’ offices are more geographically distributed, however, female doctors are less likely than finance workers to be penalized for living in the suburbs, Liu explained; those who decide to live outside the city still have access to high-paying, nearby jobs.
—Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penalized
punished
Verb
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This was a creditable Arsenal performance, punctuated — and punished — by two uncharacteristic defensive lapses.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Man City won 3-1 against one of the season’s black horses in the EPL, Bournemouth, and punished Dortmund 4-1 in Champions League play.—
Pueng Vongs,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penalized. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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