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
Raphinha is not the first player Flick has punished over timekeeping during his time at Barcelona.
—
Pol Ballús, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Trump has already punished nations like India with tariffs for buying Russian oil.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
The city of Grants Pass, Oregon, had punished people using camping paraphernalia like blankets or pillows while sleeping outside.
—Idaho Statesman, 11 Sep. 2025
The verdict marks the first time since Brazil became a republic almost 140 years ago that military officials have been punished for attempting to overthrow democracy.
—Ricardo Brito, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
If that’s your reality, trust your instincts, stay professional and begin looking for spaces where curiosity is welcomed, not punished.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
The government has since reversed its ban, though protestors insist that officials should be punished and replaced.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Gild stresses the importance of career pathways, but in trades the best technician is often rewarded—or punished—by being made a supervisor.
—Dan Ringo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The smaller banks were punished because of fears centered around small businesses and their ability to navigate tariffs amid a slowing labor market and a moderately high rate environment.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
Pol Ballús, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Trump has already punished nations like India with tariffs for buying Russian oil.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
The city of Grants Pass, Oregon, had punished people using camping paraphernalia like blankets or pillows while sleeping outside.
—Idaho Statesman, 11 Sep. 2025
The verdict marks the first time since Brazil became a republic almost 140 years ago that military officials have been punished for attempting to overthrow democracy.
—Ricardo Brito, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
If that’s your reality, trust your instincts, stay professional and begin looking for spaces where curiosity is welcomed, not punished.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
The government has since reversed its ban, though protestors insist that officials should be punished and replaced.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Gild stresses the importance of career pathways, but in trades the best technician is often rewarded—or punished—by being made a supervisor.
—Dan Ringo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The smaller banks were punished because of fears centered around small businesses and their ability to navigate tariffs amid a slowing labor market and a moderately high rate environment.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punished
Verb
-
Clubs could go below this threshold but be penalized in some fashion.—
Maury Brown,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Like traffic in the surrounding city that’s one of the largest in the world, the Chiefs were going nowhere fast as of getting penalized on the opening kickoff to offset Tyquan Thornton’s 42-yard return.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The year before, two French tourists were fined and expelled for skinny dipping in the canal under the moonlight.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Residing in Britain, the couple was fined a total of €450 each (about $529) and ordered to leave the historic center for 48 hours.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Brown pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal and a judge sentenced him to serve between six and eight years in prison.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Patron faces a minimum of life in prison on two of the counts for which he was convicted.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The defendant is now charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and faces life in prison if convicted.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The two criticized a number of countries, including France, Canada, Australia and others that are set to recognize a Palestinian state ahead of the United Nations General Assembly this month.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Although another wrinkle in this saga, Kuminga's relationship with head coach Steve Kerr, has been criticized by the greater basketball world, Charania and Slater reported that there is no longer a rift.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The socio-economic mechanics of traditional insurance create a distorted landscape, one where disciplined, loss-conscious businesses subsidize the behavior of less responsible market players.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Your team should be operationally disciplined to do all of this.—
Ryan Austin,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kelley is chastised and eventually replaced by Gustave Gilbert (Colin Hanks), a rival psychologist with a different take, one that opposes Kelley’s more humanistic approach in defining the horrors of that time.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
-
He was chastised, mocked, and even beaten with stones for his family’s antislavery views, until finally his parents pulled him from school and found a private tutor whose curriculum accorded with their own beliefs.—
Chandler Fritz,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
While a yellow placard signals two or more major violations, these are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County Retail Food Inspection Guide.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Both are corrected automatically when using your camera for JPG images or video without any detriment to photos.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punished. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share