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 terrible
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
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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
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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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of punk
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Described as Superbad meets Derry Girls, Bender is based on the late-’70s, post-punk Dublin coming-of-age experiences of Adrian Cunningham, who penned the script.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
No matter what’s rattling around in Peter’s brain, his bandmates are ready to play around with its cinematic potential by whipping up a DIY batter of post-punk and no-wave idiosyncrasies.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punk
Adjective
This one pulls the theater credibly into the harder rock realm — the pre-punk, pre-grunge one.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Described as Superbad meets Derry Girls, Bender is based on the late-’70s, post-punk Dublin coming-of-age experiences of Adrian Cunningham, who penned the script.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
Other bright bouncy acts include pop-punk-plus acts Hit the Lights and Major League, the entertainingly mysterious multi-instrumentalist Buckethead and, unbelievably, the still-jumpy British shouters EMF.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
No matter what’s rattling around in Peter’s brain, his bandmates are ready to play around with its cinematic potential by whipping up a DIY batter of post-punk and no-wave idiosyncrasies.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punk
Adjective
-
Our current contractor’s price proposal and timeline to finish the bridge was unreasonable and unacceptable.—
Katie Thomson,
Baltimore Sun,
6 May 2026
-
What happened was unacceptable.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Now, nearly two years later, the school finds itself in a terrible spot, as accusations of serious misconduct arise and an investigation by the athletic department heats up.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
And, betting on terrible outcomes doesn't signify what the better actually wants to happen.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The virus was first detected by health officials in Johannesburg, South Africa on May 2 after a British man became sick and was taken into intensive care, 21 days after another passenger had died.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
This spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with a sick person.—
Alex Nitzberg,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Real Madrid are at war with each other and are being coached by a novice.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
During the ceremony, Gabi also took part in purification rituals traditionally reserved for novice monks.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Cabello, once Maduro's chief thug, can now be seen sitting across from high level Trump officials in meetings discussing business deals.—
Margaret Brennan,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Secure garbage and recycling bags.—
Barbara Bellesi Zito,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
-
Investigators said nearly 6,500 pets were promised a proper burial by Vereb, but instead their bodies were dumped in landfills or left in leaking garbage bags.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The challenge these proposals aim to address is real — but trying to hold back the tide is the wrong answer.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
-
In a 4-3 ruling, the court said the legislature followed the wrong process for putting the question, an amendment to the state constitution, on the ballot.—
Larry Kaplow,
NPR,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
That is a really horrible thing.—
David Chiu,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punk. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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