punishment
/ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ noun
Forms punishments
- noun 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. “The naughty children were given a punishment by their teachers.”
- noun A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime. “a light punishment”
- noun A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.
- noun (figuratively) Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling. “a vehicle that can take a lot of punishment”
Synonyms
castigation discipline punition sanction censure correction penalty sentence chastening chastisement gruel penalization penalisation
Antonyms
reward acknowledgment guerdon meed payback recompense reguerdon remuneration
Etymology
From Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir (“to punish”). Equivalent to punish + -ment. Displaced native Old English wīte.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “punishment”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details