punishing
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- nonpunishing adjective
- self-punishing adjective
- unpunishing adjective
- unpunishingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of 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 what’s intended as a blow to the government is punishing the Cuban people.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
The worst monthly showing for the S&P 500 index in a year — and the worst first-quarter performance since 2022, when a punishing bear market was just getting underway.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
But Harper's salvo proved to be in vain as Venezuela regained the lead in the ninth inning, punishing a shaky performance from US reliever Garrett Whitlock to clinch victory.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
Despite punishing attacks on internal security organizations, including bases and command centers of the Revolutionary Guard and the plainclothes Basij militias, there has been no indication of serious defections or division.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
Washington went up to thirty-four now, Cal to a punishing thirty-eight.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
