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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in punitive
Related Words
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
Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Over the course of five months spanning from floods to extreme drought, an elite team of wildlife cinematographers capture unparalleled animal behavior using state-of-the-art thermal cameras and drone technology, filming 24/7 across punishing terrain.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2025
There’s a Twilight Zone dynamic to Trump punishing India for buying Vladimir Putin’s oil than Putin himself.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
According to the Michigan State International Law Review, Denmark adopted this approach as a matter of foreign policy, hoping that punishing those that burn foreign flags could help avoid diplomatic incidents.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
And punishing young men for speaking up about their discomfort is not normal.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2025
Now, textiles will face punishing 59 percent tariffs due to the new, 50 percent duties stacking upon an existing MFN rate of 9 percent.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 26 Aug. 2025
And though the two countries have lowered levies on each other from punishing highs earlier this year, the current levels are nevertheless having consequences, with China importing almost no energy from the US last month while a powerhouse provincial economy is in the doldrums.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2025
As Fox News Digital has previously reported, both emphasize sustainable, lower-intensity exercise that burns fat without punishing the body.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
To me, more pragmatism means moving away from the corrupt, capricious policies of the current administration, such as crony capitalism that imposes bogus tariffs on free trade, punishing leaders and countries the president dislikes while favoring those who flatter him.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Over the course of five months spanning from floods to extreme drought, an elite team of wildlife cinematographers capture unparalleled animal behavior using state-of-the-art thermal cameras and drone technology, filming 24/7 across punishing terrain.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2025
There’s a Twilight Zone dynamic to Trump punishing India for buying Vladimir Putin’s oil than Putin himself.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
According to the Michigan State International Law Review, Denmark adopted this approach as a matter of foreign policy, hoping that punishing those that burn foreign flags could help avoid diplomatic incidents.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
And punishing young men for speaking up about their discomfort is not normal.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2025
Now, textiles will face punishing 59 percent tariffs due to the new, 50 percent duties stacking upon an existing MFN rate of 9 percent.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 26 Aug. 2025
And though the two countries have lowered levies on each other from punishing highs earlier this year, the current levels are nevertheless having consequences, with China importing almost no energy from the US last month while a powerhouse provincial economy is in the doldrums.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2025
As Fox News Digital has previously reported, both emphasize sustainable, lower-intensity exercise that burns fat without punishing the body.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishing
Verb
-
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
-
That delay reflects the high stakes and complex constitutional questions surrounding the case, which has been viewed as a test of how far state officials can go in penalizing corporate misconduct.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In the spring, investors were worried the Department of Justice’s monopoly ruling meant that the search giant would be forced into a breakup that would be undoubtedly punitive, Cramer said.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The suit, served on Sharp last week, seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages and reimbursement for attorney’s fees.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The resulting wine is then bottled without fining or filtration.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
12 Aug. 2025
-
The irony of the shift from fining parents for unsanctioned births to subsidizing them to have more children is not lost on China’s millennials and Gen Zs – especially those who have witnessed the harsh penalties of the one-child policy firsthand.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This five-step sequence is less about distrusting AI than about disciplining ourselves.—
Ted Ladd,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Hayse alleges that the city of Melvindale fired him for disciplining Furman for using excessive force on two occasions and for engaging in aggressive towing tactics that targeted poor people.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has peppered his reelection campaign with AI photos and videos criticizing his opponents, in some of the first indications of how the technology will be integrated into politics.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
It's believed that Sczczerek chose to share the statement from his business' social media account after the company was flooded with negative reviews criticizing his behavior.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Four other defendants in the Perry case, including two doctors, will also face sentencing over the next three months to bring an end to the matter, at least legally.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Durkin wound up sentencing Morgan to 32 years.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
A little over the top, maybe, but full marks for acknowledging a mistake and correcting it quickly.—
Mark Phelan,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Their innovation was something called backpropagation, or backprop for short, which was a method for correcting the outputs of the middle, hidden layer of neurons during each training pass so that the network as a whole could learn efficiently.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share