punishing

American  

[puhn-i-shing] / ˈpʌn ɪ ʃɪŋ /

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

Etymology

Origin of punishing

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

Example Sentences

Stolz’s redwood thighs have been punishing the field in Milan, shattering Olympic records and Dutch dreams.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It's focused on treating children with respect and kindness and not punishing them in ways that make them feel excessively bad."

From BBC

A lawsuit says the agency is punishing the outfit for its viewpoint.

From The Wall Street Journal

The central bank has tightened interest rates while the rest of the world loosened, to a punishing 15%.

From Barron's

The Fed raised rates sharply and a punishing recession followed, punctuated by Nixon’s resignation over Watergate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• brutal
• grueling
• punitive