Synonym Chooser

How is the word punish distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of punish are castigate, chasten, chastise, correct, and discipline. While all these words mean "to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing," punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

When is castigate a more appropriate choice than punish?

Although the words castigate and punish have much in common, castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

When might chasten be a better fit than punish?

The meanings of chasten and punish largely overlap; however, chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

In what contexts can chastise take the place of punish?

In some situations, the words chastise and punish are roughly equivalent. However, chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

When can correct be used instead of punish?

The words correct and punish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

When would discipline be a good substitute for punish?

The words discipline and punish can be used in similar contexts, but discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

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 punish That, to me, solidified that there was a desire to punish her. Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 9 July 2025 Advertisement Critics of the effort to narrow eligibility, however, say the impact of the changes could be widespread, punishing borrowers for legal actions. Solcyré Burga, Time, 9 July 2025 Instead of being punished for keeping coal unburned, these communities can be rewarded and reinvested in jobs, renewables, and resilience. Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 At the end of Season 2, In-ho so graciously betrays everybody and eventually sneaks away from the pack, fakes his own death of the walkie talkie, and then puts his mask back on and punishes Gi-hun for causing this whole revolt and shoots and kills his best friend right in front of him. Jim Halterman, Variety, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for punish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punish
Verb
  • The city government will also set up an agency to enforce the rent law and penalize offenders.
    Gerardo Lemos, CNN Money, 17 July 2025
  • But without clear guidance, AI tools often penalize them.
    Stanislava Tarasiuk, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • He was fined four more times in 2012 and 2013, then suspended again in 2014 for stepping on Aaron Rodgers’ calf, which was later reversed into another fine.
    Tobias Bass, New York Times, 12 July 2025
  • Several days later, while her husband was still in the hospital, the woman was fined $1,000 for violating the restriction, the state’s parks agency said.
    Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Political dynamics: DeSantis criticized the Florida House for delaying condo relief legislation, while House Speaker Daniel Perez defended the decision to address the issue during the regular session, highlighting the collaborative effort between the House and Senate.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 9 July 2025
  • The fair housing group criticized Osili for neglecting to mention that his wife — Una Osili, a professor and the associate dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy — is a member of the bank's advisory board of directors.
    Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • The three chastised her for contacting Uthmeier without holding a special meeting or consulting with the other commissioners.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
  • Councilmember Rodriguez chastised both Park and Soto-Martínez.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2025
Verb
  • On Friday, July 18, Verduzco was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life in prison as well as one concurrent term of three years in prison for driving under the influence of alcohol, causing injury.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 19 July 2025
  • On June 13, Judge John Robert Blakey sentenced Madigan to 7.5 years in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of $2.5 million.
    Jim Talamonti, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2025
Verb
  • The June 22, 2024 incident outside the Montgomery Inn Boathouse already has led to Raleigh’s son, Kyle, being convicted of assault charges.
    Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
  • The facilities are where people charged with a crime await trial and people convicted of minor offenses serve short sentences.
    Jimmy Jenkins, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • My face is the hole through which the status quo enters me, disciplines me.
    Michael W. Clune, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
  • How to ensure students are being disciplined fairly Advocates for school resource officers say the reality is that police are going to be in schools — and therefore, the best approach is for police to know students by name.
    Cleo Krejci, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • This means Single-bit errors are automatically corrected in hardware and Double-bit errors are detected and flagged, but not corrected.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025
  • The video has been taken down, corrected, and re-uploaded to our page.
    Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Punish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punish. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

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