Punishment
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Punishment is a noun meaning A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
Meaning
A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
More Meanings
- A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.
- (figuratively) Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.
- The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or teacher), especially when disappointed or dissatisfied with the behavior or actions of a child, student, or someone else being looked after.
Example Sentences
a light punishment
a harsh punishment
a vehicle that can take a lot of punishment
The naughty children were given a punishment by their teachers.
Word Forms
- punishments
Synonyms for punishment
Depending on context, synonyms include castigation, chastening, chastisement, correction, gruel, punition.
Antonyms for punishment
Common opposites include reward, acknowledgment, guerdon, meed, payback, recompense.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include penalty, penalization, penalisation, punishability, punitive, penal.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.