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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In this version of the classic tale, Peter is Wendy's father, and James, the book’s Captain Hook, plans to seduce her to get back at his nemesis.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
26 Jan. 2026
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Formerly a longtime nemesis of the Mets, Kimbrel was one of the best closers of the 2010s.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Before she was known as Lady Van Tassel and terrorized the town in New York with her ghostly avenger, Mary went by the name Sarah Archer, a young girl trying to survive her witch of a mother.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
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Subway vigilantism existed as a vivid possibility long before there was ever a subway vigilante.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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Aldis Hodge as the detective and forensic psychologist who looks into the minds of killers to catch them goes on the hunt in the second season trailer for Cross for a ruthless vigilante pursuing a billionaire businessman tied to the murder of a playboy.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punisher. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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