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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 punished But their complaints come as Lecornu's government seeks to rein in public spending to appease skittish bond markets, which have punished France more harshly than many of its peers this year, amid a global bond market rout. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026 People who violate the rules can be found in contempt of court, which generally can be punished with up to six months in jail. — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026 Other teams have been punished for financial breaches but not on this scale. — Matt Piper, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 Owners have been previously punished for violating the personal conduct policy. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, in England and the United States and across continental Europe, statutes that punished idleness sharpened into vagrancy laws that gave police discretionary power to identify when a form of nonaction constituted criminal disorder. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 The accused were sometimes seriously punished—stripped and whipped in a town square. — S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026 Others worried the curfew could lead to over-policing of teens of color and that parents would be unfairly punished for their kids’ behavior. — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2026 He will be punished, defense says Facing the jury, Brenner said they will be exposed to horrific photographs that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punished

Verb

Players will be penalized for attempting to push off or otherwise use their off arm to create space.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Some people can’t afford to miss a shift; others worry they’ll be penalized for calling out.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of penalized

Verb

About 20 years ago, Hazleton passed the controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which withheld permits from businesses employing undocumented immigrants and fined landlords who rented to them.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Thompson lodged criticisms for Jones’ Silicon Valley donors, shifting policy positions and associations with healthcare companies that were fined for denying care.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of fined

Verb

Caleb Flynn, a pastor who competed on American Idol season 12, has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, AP News reports.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
On July 23, 2025, Hippler sentenced him to four consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus another 10 years, as part of a plea deal in which Kohberger avoided the death penalty.

— Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of sentenced

Verb

The musician is currently serving a four-year sentence after he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in October 2025.

— Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Earlier popes had maintained that exception, though Pope John Paul II increasingly advocated ending capital punishment, stressing that those convicted of crimes retain their human dignity.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of convicted

Verb

Osborn has been traveling across Nebraska to hold meetings in all 93 counties and has repeatedly criticized Ricketts for not holding town halls to meet with constituents.

— NICHOLAS INGRAM, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Hinojosa has campaigned on her tenure as a civil rights lawyer and criticized Abbott’s crime policies as violating civil liberties.

— Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticized

Verb

Anderson and Lago chastised Castro, accusing her of using city funds to help cover personal expenses to attend her ethics hearing.

— Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Frett then headed to Judge Guy Mitchell’s courtroom, where court officers chastised him for talking on his phone and refusing to take down his hoodie.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of chastised

Verb

An earlier version of this story was corrected to describe the suspect as the former head of foreign, not domestic, intelligence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
But many of Lamont’s fellow Democrats say the fiscally moderate governor has over-corrected, saving too aggressively, to the detriment of health care, education, social services and other core programs.

— Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of corrected

Browse Nearby Words

punishable

punished

punisher

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Punished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punished. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of punished

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes