as in nemesis
one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense
a father who regrets the fact that he always ends up being the household's disciplinarian and resident punisher
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Recent Examples of punisher
Montgomery has barely been in the big leagues for two months but has already put his name alongside a couple of franchise icons (and another hard-core punisher of baseballs).
—
Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punisher
Noun
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Still, Vegas had been a nemesis that had beaten Denver eight games in a row before the Broncos flipped that and swept in 2024.—
Greg Cote
November 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
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In the same vein, denim tends to be the nemesis of carry-on-only travelers.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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When both young people meet their end the Baron saves Christina by putting Hans’ brain in Christina’s body, uniting their blurred identities in a joint thirst for revenge, creating a Gothic avenger who hunts down the aristocratic ruffians who ruined their happiness.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
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Kirk had been building his reputation as an imperious, right-wing avenger on college campuses, debating anyone willing to step up to the microphone to challenge him.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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New Yorkers are swarming the polls in record numbers to choose between a historic first, a seismic comeback or a vigilante spoiler for mayor.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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Sliwa, who is best known as the founder of the subway-vigilante group the Guardian Angels, previously ran for mayor, in 2021, and lost to Eric Adams by nearly forty points.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punisher. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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