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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in punitive
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Recent Examples of punishing
Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025
Over on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show, the talk was all about rebuffing notions that Comey’s yet unseen indictment is all about Trump punishing his critics.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
This is not a problem solved by freezing rents or punishing developers.
—John Foley, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the verdict against Routh demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
This extremely punishing structure won't be a surprise to anyone who has played Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy, where a single mistake can send you all the way back to the beginning of the game.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
Is another round of chemotherapy worth the punishing side effects?
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
But then, less than two years later, a punishing atmospheric river storm sent a large redwood tree crashing down the steep slopes of the forest, slamming into the main bridge and causing other damage to the new facilities.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
The surface of Mars is a harsher environment than any desert on Earth, given the enormous temperature swings and punishing UV radiation.
—Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Big Think, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
When an authority is actively suppressing or punishing speech itself, the space open to debate gets much smaller very quickly.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025
Over on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show, the talk was all about rebuffing notions that Comey’s yet unseen indictment is all about Trump punishing his critics.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
This is not a problem solved by freezing rents or punishing developers.
—John Foley, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the verdict against Routh demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
This extremely punishing structure won't be a surprise to anyone who has played Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy, where a single mistake can send you all the way back to the beginning of the game.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
Is another round of chemotherapy worth the punishing side effects?
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
But then, less than two years later, a punishing atmospheric river storm sent a large redwood tree crashing down the steep slopes of the forest, slamming into the main bridge and causing other damage to the new facilities.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
The surface of Mars is a harsher environment than any desert on Earth, given the enormous temperature swings and punishing UV radiation.
—Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Big Think, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing
Verb
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The sanctions, which will go into effect unless there’s a last-minute deal Friday, will include freezing Iranian assets abroad, halting arms deals with Tehran and penalizing any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Flexibility alone isn’t enough—promotion criteria must avoid penalizing remote or hybrid workers and career pathways should accommodate different life and caregiving stages without stalling advancement.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But a federal judge threw out the lawsuit in March 2024, excoriating the platform’s case as plainly punitive rather than about protecting the platform’s security and legal rights.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Then, just before voting to pass the bill last month, the House adopted an amendment that raised the fines to $25,000 for an initial violation and $125,000 for subsequent offenses, making the measure the most financially punitive bathroom restriction in the country, according to The Texas Tribune.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This included fining his former parent company Infinity Broadcasting, threatening to revoke its broadcasting license, and holding up its acquisition of three radio stations.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Sep. 2025
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The regulatory landscape is responding accordingly, with Italy recently fining OpenAI €15 million over transparency and privacy controls.—
Vinod Bijlani,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While several universities have faced public backlash for disciplining students or faculty over commentary surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination, other schools have quietly taken steps to reaffirm free speech.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Bad Apples seems like another entry into that canon, until Maria (Saoirse Ronan), a primary-school instructor reeling after a painful breakup, goes too far while disciplining a particularly disruptive pupil.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After making the initial comments during the Mets' win over the Cubs on Tuesday, Cohen returned to the SNY broadcast booth on Thursday for his first call since criticizing the rookie for missing the game for Kirk's memorial.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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Among those criticizing the police union were members of Black Leaders Organizing Communities, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Voces de la Frontera.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Victim’s father speaks after sentencing Marissa Grimes’ father, Daryl Grimes, addressed O’Steen in the courtroom after Judge Ryan Hill pronounced the sentence.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Sep. 2025
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On Tuesday, a Miami federal judge ordered Graham’s immediate surrender to the Bureau of Prisons after sentencing him to seven years for ripping off millions from his mother.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Uber was born out of correcting a daily annoyance, which scaled a $203 billion company.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
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Hardware needs shrink dramatically By virtually eliminating one of the two main error types, Alice & Bob’s cat qubits allow for more efficient error-correcting codes that require far fewer physical qubits.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If your child has already tried the trend, according to experts, parents should refrain from chastising them or using scare tactics.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
21 Aug. 2025
-
This after having spent days talking about the possibility of ceding Ukrainian territory as part of some sort of agreement, and chastising Ukraine — invaded unprovoked by a much larger neighbor — of starting the war itself.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishing. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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