as in punitive
Related Words
Relevance
as in penalizing
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
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 punishing
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2025
But the new government, led by former rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad, is urging US lawmakers to repeal the most punishing sanctions isolating Syria from the world economy.
—Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 18 Feb. 2026
Daughter #1 made an ultimatum that wasn’t hers to make, and is now punishing your second daughter – and, by extension, the rest of the family – because of it.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said crews have been battling punishing weather conditions to find the ninth skier.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
And neither held back in describing just how punishing the ride turned out to be.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
By treating purity as a design parameter, engineers can now develop materials that thrive in the most punishing environments, such as hypersonic flight and extraterrestrial construction.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
The result is a surreal and darkly comic tale set inside a decaying industrial wig factory, where workers are pushed into punishing overtime shifts by the manipulative incentives of an exploitative lady overseer.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Defensively, Ferencvaros’ preference to build out from the back has led to trouble, with Spurs’ fellow Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest most recently punishing them for it for their first two goals in a 4-0 win last month.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
It is aimed at punishing low-income, struggling families.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
First introduced in 1944, the multi-purpose off-roader with portal axles has been used as the basis for military, emergency, and commercial vehicles in some of the most punishing environments around the world.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2025
But the new government, led by former rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad, is urging US lawmakers to repeal the most punishing sanctions isolating Syria from the world economy.
—Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
Lofgren said the purpose of the bill is to facilitate quality improvement in the health care system without punishing health care facilities.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 18 Feb. 2026
Daughter #1 made an ultimatum that wasn’t hers to make, and is now punishing your second daughter – and, by extension, the rest of the family – because of it.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said crews have been battling punishing weather conditions to find the ninth skier.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
And neither held back in describing just how punishing the ride turned out to be.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
By treating purity as a design parameter, engineers can now develop materials that thrive in the most punishing environments, such as hypersonic flight and extraterrestrial construction.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
The result is a surreal and darkly comic tale set inside a decaying industrial wig factory, where workers are pushed into punishing overtime shifts by the manipulative incentives of an exploitative lady overseer.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Defensively, Ferencvaros’ preference to build out from the back has led to trouble, with Spurs’ fellow Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest most recently punishing them for it for their first two goals in a 4-0 win last month.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
It is aimed at punishing low-income, struggling families.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing
Adjective
-
Although labeled a lateral move, this punitive transfer functioned as a demotion in responsibility, stature, and opportunity.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The memo, written by district general counsel Sonja McKenzie, said Brenda Smith’s administrative leave is not considered by district officials to be a punitive action.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The internet is already penalizing uncurated AI slop.—
Joe Toscano,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The suit claims that about 100 schools are left without these additional resources, penalizing them with larger class sizes and fewer opportunities to meet with teachers, among other drawbacks.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ultimately, the goal isn't fining owners.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
-
In 2024, the court said fining or jailing someone for sleeping outside when there are no available shelter beds doesn’t violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Paxton’s support for Bowden puts him at odds with the Texas Medical Board, a state agency tasked with protecting the public by licensing and disciplining physicians and other health care professionals.—
Evan MacDonald,
Houston Chronicle,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Ultimately, Lawson concluded that disciplining Polak over the three posts would be constitutionally allowed under the First Amendment, though such discipline did not appear to follow the university’s own guidelines and its collective bargaining agreement.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In multiple phone calls from jail, Nathan Gingles discussed the dependency court case, asking his friend in Texas to pass along information and criticizing Mary’s sister, who was fighting for custody against Schuler.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Both companies have also gotten more vocal in public in recent weeks, with executives openly criticizing each other's businesses.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the years since, Connecticut lawmakers have grappled with where, exactly, to draw the line when sentencing youth convicted of crimes like murder, rape, kidnapping or major drug-trafficking.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Jurors are faced with either sentencing Harrel Braddy, now 76, to life imprisonment or to die by lethal injection as Braddy’s resentencing trial wrapped up Thursday with closing arguments.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But with all that extra information comes errors, and error-correcting a quantum qubit—weeding out the noise to find the signal—is a challenge in itself.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
And while a talented photographer can work wonders, even the best can’t outshoot a schedule that’s too tight or work literal color-correcting magic on photos washed out by the blazing sun.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There is inevitably going to be an onslaught of thinkpieces and TikTok rants dedicated to chastising this casting.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Close stopped play, chastising her.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishing. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
