punishing

[puhn-i-shing]

adjective

1. causing or characterized by harsh or injurious treatment; severe; brutal.

   The storm was accompanied by punishing winds.

Other Word Forms

• nonpunishing adjective
• self-punishing adjective
• unpunishing adjective
• unpunishingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of punishing¹

1425–75; late Middle English punyesand; punish, -ing ²

Example Sentences

By doing so, he made clear that he was punishing Mr. Combs for conduct the jury didn’t find to be a crime.

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The chorus’s wild vacillations—celebrating Amina, then punishing her and then trying to clear her name—fit with their efforts to bring her to heel.

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Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said last week that "progress" is being made toward an agreement, and media reports suggest there may be some relief from the punishing US steel tariffs to come.

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She questions whether her career was really worth sacrificing her privacy, her sanity and even her health, as punishing live shows exacerbated her fibromyalgia, a condition that cause chronic, full-body pain.

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Rather than punishing AI every time it takes a swing and misses, we need to start rewarding it for taking smart swings.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• brutal 
• grueling 
• punitive