Synonyms for punishment
ˈpʌn ɪʃ məntpun·ish·ment

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.4 / 7 votes

1. punishmentnoun

   Synonyms:
   punition, castigation, beating

   Antonyms:
   reward

2. punishmentnoun

   The act or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction.

   Synonyms:
   beating, castigation, punition

   Antonyms:
   reward

3. punishmentnoun

   A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.

   Synonyms:
   beating, punition, castigation

   Antonyms:
   reward

4. punishmentnoun

   A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution

   Synonyms:
   castigation, punition, beating

   Antonyms:
   reward

5. punishmentnoun

   Any treatment or experience so harsh it feels like being punished; rough handling

   a vehicle that can take a lot of punishment

   Synonyms:
   beating, punition, castigation

   Antonyms:
   reward

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. punishment

   Synonyms:
   cruelty, hardness, harshness, implacability, justice, penalty, revenge, rigor, severity, sternness, vengeance

   Antonyms:
   benevolence, benignity, blessing, clemency, compassion, favor, forbearance, forgiveness, gentleness, grace, kindness, lenience, leniency, lenity, mercy, mildness, pardon, pardon, pity, tenderness

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.9 / 8 votes

1. punishment, penalty, penalization, penalisationnoun

   the act of punishing

   Synonyms:
   penalty, penalization, penalisation

Matched Categories

1. • Social Control

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. punishmentnoun

   Synonyms:
   chastisement, correction, discipline, penalty

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. punishmentnoun

   Synonyms:
   chastisement, castigation, scourging, discipline, penalty, visitation, retaliation, retribution, infliction

   Antonyms:
   immunity, impunity, acquittal, exoneration

   Associated words:
   penal, penology, punitive, penologist, penological, reprieve, commute, commutation, nemesis, connivance

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "punishment":

   penalty, chastisement, sentence, sanction, penalties, punish, sentences, suppression, retribution, punishing, assent, sanctions, worth, death, repression, penalization, corporal, punishments, tangible, pity, sentencing, pena, penalisation

How to pronounce punishment?

How to say punishment in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use punishment in a sentence?

1. Wayne's World:

   Wayne Garth, marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries.

2. Phelim Kine:

   President Widodo can demonstrate true leadership by ending capital punishment as unacceptable state brutality, president Widodo should recognize that the death penalty is not a crime deterrent but an unjustifiable and barbaric punishment. President Widodo should promote Indonesia as a rights-respecting democracy by joining the countries that have abolished capital punishment.

3. Christopher Zoukis:

   A lot of people who are Justin Paperny level, first of all, don't believe that they did anything wrong and certainly don't think they deserve any kind of punishment, and when they do get punishment, they don't believe they deserve this kind of punishment, and they go into prison with this' holier than thou' attitude.

4. Ryan Pack:

   Capital punishment: Capital punishment has no role in a perfect world. But since the world we live in is far from perfect I say reserve it only for the offenders who justly deserve it. We as humanity need to strive for and accomplish a just and peaceful world so that way we can abolish capital punishment altogether.

5. Jules Renard:

   Failure is not the only punishment for laziness there is also the success of others.