punishing
[ puhn-i-shing ]
/ ˈpʌn ɪ ʃɪŋ /
adjective
causing or characterized by harsh or injurious treatment; severe; brutal: The storm was accompanied by punishing winds.
Nearby words
pungent, punic, punic wars, punish, punishable, punishing, punishment, punition, punitive, punitive damages, punjab
Related forms
non·pun·ish·ing, adjectiveself-pun·ish·ing, adjectiveun·pun·ish·ing, adjectiveun·pun·ish·ing·ly, adverbDefinition for punishing (2 of 2)
punish
[ puhn-ish ]
/ ˈpʌn ɪʃ /
verb (used with object)
to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault: to punish a criminal.
to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.): to punish theft.
to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.
to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.
Informal. to make a heavy inroad on; deplete: to punish a quart of whiskey.
verb (used without object)
to inflict punishment.
Origin of punish
SYNONYMS FOR punish
Related forms
Synonym study
1. Punish, correct, discipline refer to making evident public or private disapproval of violations of law, wrongdoing, or refusal to obey rules or regulations by imposing penalties. To punish is chiefly to inflict penalty or pain as a retribution for misdeeds, with little or no expectation of correction or improvement: to punish a thief. To correct is to reprove or inflict punishment for faults, specifically with the idea of bringing about improvement: to correct a rebellious child. To discipline is to give a kind of punishment that will educate or will establish useful habits: to discipline a careless driver.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for punishing
British Dictionary definitions for punishing
punish
/ (ˈpʌnɪʃ) /
verb
to force (someone) to undergo a penalty or sanction, such as imprisonment, fines, death, etc, for some crime or misdemeanour
(tr) to inflict punishment for (some crime, etc)
(tr) to use or treat harshly or roughly, esp as by overexertionto punish a horse
(tr) informal to consume (some commodity) in large quantitiesto punish the bottle
Derived Forms
punisher, nounpunishing, adjectivepunishingly, adverbWord Origin for punish
C14 punisse, from Old French punir, from Latin pūnīre to punish, from poena penalty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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