Meanings
nounpunishment (countable and uncountable, plural punishments)
plural punishments
- countableuncountableThe 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.
The naughty children were given a punishment by their teachers.
Synonyms: castigation, discipline, punition
- countableuncountableA penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
a light punishment
2 more examples
a harsh punishment
But officials here maintain that their methods do make a difference, and they follow it up with post-release programs. The aim of Bastoy is not to punish or seek revenge, Nilsen said. The only punishment is to take away the prisoner’s right to be a free member of society.
2012 May 24, John D. Sutter, “Welcome to the world’s nicest prison”, in CNNSynonyms: sanction, censure, correction, discipline, penalty, punition, sanction, sentence · Antonyms: reward, acknowledgment, guerdon, meed, payback, recompense, reguerdon, remuneration
- countableuncountableA suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.
- countablefigurativelyuncountableAny harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.
a vehicle that can take a lot of punishment
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe 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.
nounA penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
Similar
Broader
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe act of punishing, or the infliction of a penalty
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchpunissement
- Middle Englishpunishement
- Englishpunishment
From Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir (“to punish”). Equivalent to punish + -ment. Displaced native Old English wīte.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans straf, straf
- strafact of punishing
- strafpenalty for wrongdoing
Ancient Greek τιμωρία, τιμωρία
- τιμωρία (timōría)act of punishing
- τιμωρία (timōría)penalty for wrongdoing
- κόλασις (kólasis)penalty for wrongdoing
- τιμώρησις (timṓrēsis)penalty for wrongdoing
Arabic عِقَاب, جَزَاء
- عِقَاب (ʕiqāb)act of punishing
- جَزَاء (jazāʔ)act of punishing
- مُجَازَاة (mujāzāh)act of punishing
- عُقُوبَة (ʕuqūba)penalty for wrongdoing
- عِقَاب (ʕiqāb)suffering imposed as retribution
Bengali সাজা, দণ্ড
- সাজা (śaja)act of punishing
- দণ্ড (donḍo)act of punishing
- শাস্তি (śasti)act of punishing
Bulgarian наказа́ние, наказа́ние
- наказа́ние (nakazánie)act of punishing
- наказа́ние (nakazánie)penalty for wrongdoing
Catalan punició, puniment
- punicióact of punishing
- punimentact of punishing
- càstigpenalty for wrongdoing
- puniciósuffering imposed as retribution
- punimentsuffering imposed as retribution
- punicióharsh treatment or experience
- punimentharsh treatment or experience
Chinese Cantonese 懲罰 /惩罚, 刑罰 /刑罚
- 懲罰 /惩罚 (cing⁴ fat⁶)act of punishing
- 刑罰 /刑罚 (jing⁴ fat⁶)act of punishing
Chinese Mandarin 懲罰 /惩罚, 刑罰 /刑罚
- 懲罰 /惩罚 (chéngfá)act of punishing
- 刑罰 /刑罚 (xíngfá)act of punishing
- 刑罰 /刑罚 (xíngfá)penalty for wrongdoing
Czech trest, trest
- trestact of punishing
- trestpenalty for wrongdoing
Danish straf, straf
- strafact of punishing
- strafpenalty for wrongdoing
- afstraffelseharsh treatment or experience
Dutch bestraffing, straf
- bestraffingact of punishing
- strafact of punishing
- strafpenalty for wrongdoing
- afstraffingsuffering imposed as retribution
- boetedoeningsuffering imposed as retribution
- vergeldingsuffering imposed as retribution
- boetesuffering imposed as retribution
- afstraffingharsh treatment or experience
- beproevingharsh treatment or experience
- vergeldingharsh treatment or experience
Esperanto puno, puno
- punoact of punishing
- punopenalty for wrongdoing
Estonian karistus
- karistusact of punishing
Finnish rankaiseminen, rankaisu
- rankaiseminenact of punishing
- rankaisuact of punishing
- rangaistuspenalty for wrongdoing
- rangaistussuffering imposed as retribution
- kurittaminenharsh treatment or experience
French punition, châtiment
- punitionact of punishing
- châtimentact of punishing
- punitionpenalty for wrongdoing
- punitionsuffering imposed as retribution
- châtimentsuffering imposed as retribution
- punitionharsh treatment or experience
German Strafe, Bestrafung
- Strafeact of punishing
- Bestrafungact of punishing
- Bestrafungpenalty for wrongdoing
Greek τιμωρία, τιμωρία
- τιμωρία (timoría)act of punishing
- τιμωρία (timoría)penalty for wrongdoing
- ποινή (poiní)penalty for wrongdoing
Hebrew עונש \ עֹנֶשׁ, עֲנִישָׁה
- עונש \ עֹנֶשׁ (ónesh)act of punishing
- עֲנִישָׁה (anishá)act of punishing
- עונש (ónesh)penalty for wrongdoing
Hindi सज़ा, दण्ड
- सज़ा (sazā)act of punishing
- दण्ड (daṇḍ)act of punishing
- दण्ड (daṇḍ)penalty for wrongdoing
- सज़ा (sazā)penalty for wrongdoing
Hungarian büntetés, büntetés
- büntetésact of punishing
- büntetéspenalty for wrongdoing
Icelandic refsing
- refsingact of punishing
Indonesian hukuman
- hukumanact of punishing
Irish pionós, pionós
- pionósact of punishing
- pionóspenalty for wrongdoing
Italian punizione, pena
- punizioneact of punishing
- penaact of punishing
- castigoact of punishing
Japanese 罰, 懲罰
- 罰 (batsu)act of punishing
- 懲罰 (chōbatsu)act of punishing
- 処罰 (shobatsu)act of punishing
- 刑罰 (keibatsu)act of punishing
- 罰 (batsu)penalty for wrongdoing
- 刑罰 (keibatsu)penalty for wrongdoing
- 処罰 (shobatsu)penalty for wrongdoing
Korean 처벌, 벌
- 처벌 (cheobeol)act of punishing
- 벌 (beol)act of punishing
- 형벌 (hyeongbeol)act of punishing
- 징벌 (jingbeol)act of punishing
Latin supplicium, poena
- suppliciumact of punishing
- poenaact of punishing
- pūnītiōpenalty for wrongdoing
Latvian sods, sodīšana
- sodsact of punishing
- sodīšanaact of punishing
- sodspenalty for wrongdoing
Lithuanian bausmė
- bausmėact of punishing
Malay hukuman, seksa
- hukumanact of punishing
- seksaact of punishing
- deraact of punishing
- azabpenalty for wrongdoing
- azabsuffering imposed as retribution
Norwegian Bokmål straff, straff
- straffact of punishing
- straffpenalty for wrongdoing
Persian مجازات, کیفر
- مجازات (mojâzât)suffering imposed as retribution
- کیفر (keyfar)suffering imposed as retribution
- تنبیه (tanbih)suffering imposed as retribution
- بلا (balâ)harsh treatment or experience
Polish karanie, kara
- karanieact of punishing
- karaact of punishing
- karapenalty for wrongdoing
- kaźńpenalty for wrongdoing
- wyciskharsh treatment or experience
Portuguese punição, castigo
- puniçãoact of punishing
- castigopenalty for wrongdoing
- puniçãopenalty for wrongdoing
- penapenalty for wrongdoing
Punjabi ਸਜ਼ਾ, سَزا
- ਸਜ਼ਾ (sazā)act of punishing
- سَزا (sazā)act of punishing
- ਡੰਡ (ḍaṇḍ)penalty for wrongdoing
Romanian pedepsire, pedeapsă
- pedepsireact of punishing
- pedeapsăact of punishing
- pedeapsăpenalty for wrongdoing
- penalizaresuffering imposed as retribution
- pedeapsăsuffering imposed as retribution
Russian наказа́ние, ка́ра
- наказа́ние (nakazánije)act of punishing
- ка́ра (kára)act of punishing
- наказа́ние (nakazánije)penalty for wrongdoing
Scottish Gaelic peanasachadh, peanas
- peanasachadhact of punishing
- peanaspenalty for wrongdoing
- peanassuffering imposed as retribution
Slovak trest, trest
- trestact of punishing
- trestpenalty for wrongdoing
Spanish castigo, escarmiento
- castigoact of punishing
- escarmientoact of punishing
- puniciónact of punishing
- castigopenalty for wrongdoing
- escarmientopenalty for wrongdoing
- penitenciasuffering imposed as retribution
- escarmientosuffering imposed as retribution
Swedish straff, straff
- straffact of punishing
- straffpenalty for wrongdoing
Tagalog kastigo
- kastigoact of punishing
Tamil தண்டம், தண்டனம்
- தண்டம் (taṇṭam)act of punishing
- தண்டனம் (taṇṭaṉam)act of punishing
Thai โทษ, ทัณฑ์
- โทษ (tôot)act of punishing
- ทัณฑ์ (tan)act of punishing
Turkish ceza, mücazat
- cezaact of punishing
- mücazatact of punishing
Ukrainian покара́ння, ка́ра
- покара́ння (pokaránnja)act of punishing
- ка́ра (kára)act of punishing
- покара́ння (pokaránnja)penalty for wrongdoing
- ка́ра (kára)penalty for wrongdoing
Urdu سَزا, دَنْڈ
- سَزا (sazā)act of punishing
- دَنْڈ (danḍ)act of punishing
- عِقاب ('iqāb)act of punishing
- مُجازات (mujāzāt)act of punishing
Vietnamese hình phạt, trừng trị
- hình phạtact of punishing
- trừng trịact of punishing
- sự phạtact of punishing
Welsh cosb
- cosbpenalty for wrongdoing
Yiddish שטראָף
- שטראָף (shtrof)act of punishing
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
punishment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punishment
MLA
“punishment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punishment. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “punishment,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punishment.
Source: punishment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.