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. Judge Janice Cunningham:

   There is no way that this court is going to issue any type of punishment given the circumstances of this case.

2. Pope Francis:

   I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.

3. Nansel Larson:

   Not every dancer receive a noble award Some receive punishment instead.

4. Jay Sekulow:

   Exposing private details about individuals is not a power Congress holds, publicly releasing information about individuals is a form of punishment.

5. Josh Clark:

   There was probably a little bit of self-punishment to it.