as in penalized
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
the child was punished for breaking dishes on purpose if caught, the thief will be severely punished
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Recent Examples of punished
This was a creditable Arsenal performance, punctuated — and punished — by two uncharacteristic defensive lapses.
—
James McNicholas, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Man City won 3-1 against one of the season’s black horses in the EPL, Bournemouth, and punished Dortmund 4-1 in Champions League play.
—Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
Many investors worried the drop in artificial intelligence stocks such as Palantir , which was punished even after delivering stellar earnings, points to buyer exhaustion after this year's rally.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2025
More than a month after one of its professors was arrested on charges of violent felonies at an anti-ICE rally, an elite private university has refused to say whether the academic has been punished.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
She has been punished in a way that the British royal family is punished.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
Not that either of them is really getting punished all that much, in the first place.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2025
Unlike some of the other cases, Hook had removed his post within hours and apologized before the school punished him.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2025
And while it's not guaranteed, the president's party is usually punished in the midterms.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punished
Verb
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Booker was penalized for roughing the passer on the hit that sent Love into concussion protocol.—
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Four Sharks and three Lightning players were penalized for a fight that involved every player on the ice except the goaltenders.—
Verb
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The Cardinals fined the coach $100,000 for his actions.—
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Bayron-Velez also was fined, charged Florida Department of Health case costs and assigned a continuing medical education course.—
Verb
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On Friday, a judge sentenced Robinson to 10 to 12 years in state prison.—
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The judge ultimately sentenced him to serve 33 months.—
Verb
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He was arrested in 2004 and was convicted for the first time in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison.—
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Had the Santana attack happened today, a 15-year-old shooter — even if convicted of multiple murders — would be tried as a juvenile and generally could not be held in custody longer than age 25, with maybe an additional two years in transitional housing.—
Verb
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Officials originally proposed upgrading the city’s largest cricket stadium, The Gabba, to accommodate the Games, though the project’s price tag was heavily criticized.—
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A number of head coaches leading teams at AFCON 2025 in Morocco have criticized the changes to the tournament’s schedule, arguing that AFCON’s current two-year cycle is ideal for the development of African football and related infrastructure.—
Verb
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That means being disciplined with my schedule and carving out space to think.—
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No team is more sound or disciplined.—
Verb
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During a pre-pageant event, pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly chastised Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch, leading to a tense back-and-forth exchange that resulted in several contestants walking out in support of Bosch.—
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Weeks later, the long-running failures of the ETAN Tolling Technology software burst into public view, and SANDAG board members publicly chastised their senior executives for withholding key information from them.—
Verb
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Powell corrected Trump in front of reporters about the cost of the project, with the tension between the two men palpable.—
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The full inspections show how each establishment has corrected or is working to correct any remaining violations.—
Cite this Entry
“Punished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punished. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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