punishing
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of punishing
Explanation
Something punishing is extremely physically difficult to do. On a very hot, humid day, even a 5K is a punishing race to run. Anything that exhausts you because it's so demanding can be described with the adjective punishing. A punishing hike leaves you gasping and applying bandages to your blisters. A punishing argument with your family is more mentally arduous. Sometimes, punishing things weaken or debilitate: "The lack of snow had a punishing result for the ski industry." Rarely, punishing also means "leading to punishment."
Vocabulary lists containing punishing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even punishing reviews for the show’s long-delayed third season seem unlikely to prevent more recognition of what remains a great performance.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Their pack is still brutish, highlighted by a punishing takedown of rivals Northampton Saints last month.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
I asked if she worried that Pratt’s agenda would amount to punishing 70,000 people for the actions of a much smaller number, like the man who had terrorized her.
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026
She is now the oldest woman on the UFC roster, her longevity in the punishing sport making her one of its best-known names.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
But what did McGeary really, really feel about punishing me?
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
