1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in horrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
I've been feeling punk today
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
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Recent Examples of punk
Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The five smudge shades are named after punk music culture.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2025
The movement feels, in structure if not content, more like a punk band scene than a film industry.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Adjective
Dammers’s recollection of this time will strike a chord with many people who were there:
For me, reggae made punk gigs bearable.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The five smudge shades are named after punk music culture.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
The pop punk number comes off their new album, Motel Du Cap, which is out today.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2025
The movement feels, in structure if not content, more like a punk band scene than a film industry.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punk
Adjective
-
Just totally unacceptable and mind-blowing for that kind of mistake.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The critiques have only intensified with each year that passes since the team’s last Super Bowl victory in 1996, with Jones calling the drought unacceptable at the NFL owners meeting earlier this year.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The sandwich, featuring ground meat—generally beef—suspended in a thick, sweet tomatoey sauce, has become an avatar of the horrible school lunch, a cliché that tends to go along with hairnets, greasy aprons, and other elements of canteen grotesquerie.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
17 Aug. 2025
-
The stories have overflowed with a horrible, glorious narrative abundance.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Prater has a sick fascination with serial killers, collecting their trophies and even inviting the most notorious of them to gatherings at his mansion.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The nerve-rattling new A24 drama from writer-director Mary Bronstein, in theaters Oct. 10, stars Byrne, 46, as Linda — a therapist with mental health struggles, a wife to an absent husband and mother to their sick daughter.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The current version of Kuang might be described as a tabula-rasa novice, a highly accomplished author who would prefer to be an eager disciple.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
-
The most pythons caught by a novice were 14 by Krista Hoekstra, while John Southworth led the military category with 5.—
NBC South Florida,
NBC news,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Peace isn’t easy to come by, though the motorcycle thugs who swing by to bully the locals and squeeze money out of the businesses don’t offer much resistance.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
-
As the ship prepared to leave port, the G men arrived, handcuffed the thug and dragged him away.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
New York City has already begun working with neighborhood groups and activating organizations who sign up to be notified before a big rain to clean debris like falling leaves and garbage from the sewer drains in their community.—
Amy Chester,
New York Daily News,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Check garbage collection schedules in Ohio Ohio's bigger cities won't see garbage trucks on Labor Day.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The religion is wrong, the technology is wrong, the agriculture is wrong, the attitude is wrong.—
Fiction Non Fiction
August 7,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
-
And if something goes really, really wrong, Miguel and I will head directly to the airport and take the next flight out.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While the latter is known for its legendarily terrible English localization, both of these were highly innovative horizontal scrolling shmups for their time.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punk. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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