punishments

NOUN

penalty

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abuse beating discipline forfeiture retribution sanction suffering torture trial

STRONG

amercement castigation chastening chastisement comeuppance confiscation correction deprivation forfeit gallows infliction lumps maltreatment mortification mulct ostracism pain penance proof purgatory reparation rod sequestration unhappiness victimization

WEAK

disciplinary action hard work punitive measures rough treatment short shrift what for

Antonyms

STRONGEST

award happiness reward

STRONG

indulgence

WEAK

encouragement exoneration praise protection

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Punishments have long been a staple of fantasy football, providing an incentive for a league’s bottom feeders to keep trying.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

Punishments were a way to control Sasanian society and were often tied to sins as defined by the state religion.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Punishments could range from: asking him to make a written apology, making him apologise in person in the Commons, up to suspension.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2023

Punishments in such cases should be harsher too, rather than ceremonious or possessed of little or no punitive value.

From Salon • Sep. 7, 2022

Punishments were more savage then than they are now.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck