PUNISHED Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

punished

verb

past tense of punish

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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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 punished Universities have too often punished controversial opinions while tolerating intimidation, obstruction, and exclusion. — Ilya Shapiro, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026 Further south, Broward severely punished the party-switcher who fled the Democratic Party and hoped to survive as a repackaged Republican. — Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026 The ensuing months of chaos and spiking prices have punished countries everywhere, including in Europe. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026 Look at Brazil, which has come back from the brink of a return to authoritarianism only because the crimes of even a former president like Jair Bolsonaro were duly investigated, laid bare for the public, and the perpetrator punished. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026 Johnson’s sunny assertions that Republicans would defy history in the midterms, as voters traditionally have punished the president’s party in power, failed to hold. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 If the economy is doing badly, incumbents tend to get punished. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026 Voters haven’t really punished a party for launching an investigation that doesn’t go anywhere. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026 In a season where earnings reports have punished some of the biggest names in the market, this relatively low options pricing suggests a long premium trade into the print is the most prudent play. — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punished

Verb

The one that had not been penalized for cheating on math peeked at the answer sheet 99% of the time, while the one that had did so less than 1% of the time.

— Harry Booth, Time, 5 Nov. 2026
After being penalized just three times last season, Stephens has committed five penalties in eight games, including four in the past five.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of penalized

Verb

Au Kam San, a Macao pro-democracy former lawmaker, was sentenced to 12½ years in prison after a closed-door trial that raised concerns about fairness in the Chinese casino hub's first national security case since the law was enacted in 2009.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
Volarvich and Topete were sentenced to death in 2008 and 2012, respectively.

— Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of sentenced

Verb

Moore was convicted in 2013 in an unrelated incident of inappropriately touching a 16-year-old boy.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
Cunha was convicted of arson in 2016 after pleading guilty to setting at least 30 fires in rural areas east of Sacramento during 2006 and 2007, causing $7 million in damage, The Sacramento Bee reported at the time.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of convicted

Verb

Thompson has criticized the self-funding, while Jones has fired back by pointing at the incumbent’s history of accepting corporate donations.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Sand criticized Iowa's education savings account, or voucher, program, which uses public money to help families pay private school tuition.

— Sheila Brummer, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of criticized

Verb

These included putting politicians in charge of appointing new judges (previously, the responsibility had belonged to fellow judges) and creating a new avenue for judges to be disciplined.

— Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Nov. 2026
The policy tells deputies they will not be disciplined or even criticized for deciding not to chase someone, or for terminating a chase.

— Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of disciplined

Verb

While offensive players are often chastised for flopping in an attempt to get free throws, every clip in the NBA’s four-minute video about flopping focused on defensive players.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Instead, village leaders continued promoting tourism to the town, and the mayor even chastised residents for warning of floods on social media.

— Cengiz Yar, ProPublica, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of chastised

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punishable

punished

punisher

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“Punished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punished. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of punished

verb

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