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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Like with your broody, next door neighbor nemesis, who might just be the key to finding your missing best friend.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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Robbie was stabbed by his Dark Hearts nemesis Jayson (Sam Keeley) and ultimately bled out in the car as Tom (Mark Ruffalo) attempted to rush him to the hospital.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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Mangione's image has been merged into memes with Nintendo's Luigi, portraying him as a vigilante avenger of systemic injustice.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime vigilante group, said in a statement that the only poll that mattered is the one on Election Day.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
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The superhero show stars John Cena as Chris Smith, a superhero vigilante named Peacemaker, who was first introduced in 2021's The Suicide Squad.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punisher. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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