as in penalized
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
the child was punished for breaking dishes on purpose if caught, the thief will be severely punished
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Recent Examples of punished
The restraining order, however, specifically says that neither the player nor program can be punished by the NCAA for Bediako’s participation.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Kelly filed a lawsuit earlier this month in a district court to try to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s efforts to demote his rank in retirement, insisting the inquiry unlawfully punished him for his speech and violated his due process.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2026
This approach uncovers systemic issues and shows your team that honesty won't be punished.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Enemies could be harassed or assaulted, and the perpetrators would not be punished.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
Defendants who commit these crimes deserve to be punished with the full weight of the criminal justice system.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
South Korean government prosecutors have recommended that former President Yoon Suk Yeol be punished with death for his stunning effort early in December 2024 to return to dictatorship.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Indiana physically punished Alabama in the quarterfinal.
—Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office had charged Mangione with terrorism enhancements in order to justify a first-degree murder charge under state law, which could have been punished with a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Kelly filed a lawsuit earlier this month in a district court to try to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s efforts to demote his rank in retirement, insisting the inquiry unlawfully punished him for his speech and violated his due process.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2026
This approach uncovers systemic issues and shows your team that honesty won't be punished.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Enemies could be harassed or assaulted, and the perpetrators would not be punished.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
Defendants who commit these crimes deserve to be punished with the full weight of the criminal justice system.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
South Korean government prosecutors have recommended that former President Yoon Suk Yeol be punished with death for his stunning effort early in December 2024 to return to dictatorship.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Indiana physically punished Alabama in the quarterfinal.
—Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office had charged Mangione with terrorism enhancements in order to justify a first-degree murder charge under state law, which could have been punished with a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punished
Verb
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Creators raised concerns According to YouTube, the change directly addresses complaints from creators who said the platform penalized storytelling formats that rely on realism or social themes.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Jan. 2026
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Panahi has consistently taken the risk and he’s been penalized and imprisoned many times for his work, spending years in prison; but this film is on another level (he was even sentenced in absentia for it).—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Collin County Jail The arrest comes one day after Ezeiruaku was told he was being fined $10,528 by the NFL for pulling the helmet off a New York Giants player after a skirmish during the Cowboys' loss to the Giants on January 4.—
Briana Aldridge,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
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Also, the request asked Nwosuocha be fined $1,250 in case costs.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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She was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2010 but was released on September 19, 2018, after her time in federal custody was counted toward her state sentence.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
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While juries in Texas sometimes determine criminal sentences, Gonzales has opted to be sentenced by Judge Sid Harle if he is convicted.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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He was arrested in 2004 and was convicted for the first time in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
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Had the Santana attack happened today, a 15-year-old shooter — even if convicted of multiple murders — would be tried as a juvenile and generally could not be held in custody longer than age 25, with maybe an additional two years in transitional housing.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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No less than a half-dozen GOP senators publicly criticized the Department of Justice for investigating Powell over Hill testimony last year about the Fed headquarters’ renovation.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The federal government has stepped up operations in Chicago and the Twin Cities, both Democratic strongholds, during the fall and local officials have criticized them for sowing chaos and confusion.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When healthy, Moncada offers disciplined at-bats, with some power.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
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Even with the sympathetic support of producers, Valdez received a paltry budget that forced him to be disciplined during shooting.—
Jake Cole,
IndieWire,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The governments of the three latter nations have now all chastised xAI, with Indonesia going as far as to temporarily block access to Grok.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Chu also chastised Seibold, the finance executive, for failing to change the month-to-month loan balances on the falsified records.—
Samuel O'Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Powell corrected Trump in front of reporters about the cost of the project, with the tension between the two men palpable.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
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The full inspections show how each establishment has corrected or is working to correct any remaining violations.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punished. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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