- present participle of punish.
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.
But, in a bad-tempered match in the punishing Philadelphia heat, they showed their ugly side.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
This is not about gawking at illness or punishing people for seeking care.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
As Europe seeks ways to cool down in punishing temperatures, there's no way that Alexandre Anoh is going to sleep without air conditioning in Abidjan's stifling heat.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
The book depicts Mr. Stein as a Boss Tweed-style figure who ran the lifeguarding program as a personal fiefdom, rewarding those loyal to him with plum assignments and punishing those who sought system reform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Rishi tried to catch Dimple’s eye, but she kept shoveling in French fry after French fry like she was punishing them with her teeth.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
