PUNK Synonyms: 456 Similar and Opposite Words

punk 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of punk

as in unacceptable

falling short of a standard she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in terrible

extremely unsatisfactory the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sick

temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body I've been feeling punk today

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

punk

2 of 2

noun

ˈpəŋk

as in novice

a person who is just starting out in a field of activity an impertinent punk who was trying to tell senior colleagues how to do their jobs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in thug

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang the vigilante was hailed by some as a hero for standing up to the punks who had repeatedly threatened his family

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as in garbage

language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense claims made by cosmetic companies about their antiaging creams that turned out to be a lot of punk

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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 punk

Adjective

Many of us coming out of punk [were] into that kind of new wave post-punk period. — David Chiu, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 In a way, the first group of new wave bands that got labelled punk, maybe one out of five were actually punk. — Peter Larsen, Daily News, 27 May 2026

Noun

That punk instinct never crowded out Araki’s tenderness toward the material, and Corbet clearly shares the director’s view. — Joshua Encinias, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026 The site aspired to bring an insurgent, punk ethos to the political world. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for punk

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punk

Adjective

Still, only 28% of readers said that AI use is unacceptable in all of the circumstances presented by the survey.

— Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026
Intervene Intervene means several signals—or one sufficiently consequential event—indicate probable deterioration or unacceptable outcomes.

— Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of unacceptable

Adjective

That Crowley came from behind to win was a testament to Evers’ grit and determination to keep the nomination from Hong, whom Evers said was unlikely to win in November, and to how terrible of a campaigner Hong turned out to be in the home stretch.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
Although the Constitution requires congressional involvement in war-making, Trump like Nixon disdained that mandate with terrible consequences.

— Elizabeth Holtzman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

People without risk factors generally do not get sick or display symptoms from Candida auris.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
The river boat passenger had become sick and disembarked nearly three weeks ago in Pimu, in the province of Mongala, more than 1,000 kilometers from Kinshasa along the Congo River, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said on Thursday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of sick

Noun

The epic eight-part Italian drama was widely acclaimed and streamed in the fall on Mubi, a relatively novice player in the episodic game.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
The music industry has been wrestling with the pros and cons of the new technology that allows musical novices to create professional-sounding songs in seconds.

— Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of novice

Noun

Marcy had her hair tied up with a bow made from nylon cord and was bent over a fold-up kitchen counter rearranging wet garbage.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Polls show Farage is still likely to win, but that Count Binface — a spoof candidate who wears a garbage pail on his head — may get around 20-percent of the vote.

— Lauren Frayer, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of garbage

Adjective

The company’s investment in the hedge fund, as well as wrong-way bets in Asian equity markets, drove part of the losses, said the person, who asked not to be identified citing private details.

— Katherine Doherty, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
Maybe in this new era, more things will go right than wrong for the Mets.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrong

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“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punk. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of punk

adjective

noun

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