punishing
Americanadjective
Other Word 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.
Also read: Time to buy the dip in momentum stocks after a punishing July drawdown?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Macklem said there were indications that was happening, pointing to aluminum, a key Canadian sector facing punishing Trump tariffs, where businesses are "finding new customers in Europe."
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
“At the end of the day, they end up just punishing people who are either fast test takers or know the material.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
But, in a bad-tempered match in the punishing Philadelphia heat, they showed their ugly side.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Coach had us run suicides for twenty minutes, his way of punishing us for being part of something stupid.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
