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. Elizabeth Fry, Journal entry:

   Punishment is not for revenge, but to lessen crime and reform the criminal.

2. Amnesty International Iran researcher:

   This punishment exposes the utter brutality of Iran's justice system and underlines the Iranian authorities' shocking disregard for basic humanity, meting out cruel and inhuman retribution punishments is not justice. Blinding, like stoning, amputation and flogging, is a form of corporal punishment prohibited by international law. Such punishments should not be carried out under any circumstances.

3. John Philpot Curran:

   It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become prey to the active. The conditions upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime, and the punishment of his guilt.

4. Jerry Garry:

   From an environmental point of view, obviously the slurry discharge... has already caused damage to the ocean and the livelihood of the people because they will not be swimming and they will not be fishing in the area any more, there will be summons to pay compensation. There will be other punishment imposed by CEPA. I'm really not too sure as to what the nature of the penalties may be.

5. Nansel Larson:

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