punishing

Pluralpunishings

1. 1
   adjective

   Extremely demanding and exhausting, testing physical or mental endurance to the breaking point.

   Recruits endured a punishing training regimen in the first weeks of camp.

   The lawyers worked punishing hours to meet the filing deadline.

   Similargrueling, exhausting, arduous, strenuous, demanding

   Oppositeeasy, undemanding, leisurely

   Note

   A true adjective, not just a verb form in disguise. It grades, so one schedule can be more punishing than another, or the most punishing of the season. It attaches to whatever wears a person down through sheer demand, such as a schedule, heat, or a pace. That gradability separates it from the verb form, which takes an object: punishing heat is an adjective, but punishing offenders is a verb.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of punish.

   The referee is punishing every late tackle with a yellow card.

   Punishing offenders without explaining the rule teaches them nothing.

   Note

   The -ing form doing verb work. After be it makes the progressive (is punishing every late tackle), and on its own it serves as the gerund (punishing offenders teaches nothing). It carries every sense of punish, including the colloquial ones: mauling an opponent, or putting away a large quantity of something.

3. 3
   adjectivefiguratively

   Harsh and wearing to the point of weakening or damaging someone or something.

   Months of punishing interest rates pushed several small firms into bankruptcy.

   The campaign faced a punishing wave of negative press.

   Similarcrippling, crushing, harsh, brutal, severe

   Oppositemild, gentle, favorable

   Note

   Here the harshness does damage rather than demanding endurance. Embargoes, tax rates and blows are punishing in this way: they weaken whatever they land on. The difference from the "grueling" meaning shows in the noun it modifies. A punishing schedule tests the person who keeps it. A punishing embargo harms the country it targets.

4. 4
   nouncountable

   The act of inflicting a penalty or rough treatment on someone for a wrongdoing.

   The veteran defense handed the young quarterback a brutal punishing all afternoon.

   He came home from the brawl having taken quite a punishing.

   Similarbeating, battering, pounding, thrashing, drubbing

   Note

   The verbal noun can be counted. It takes a plural, punishings, and can name separate acts, as in talk of historical punishings. Next to punishment it sounds more physical and immediate. That is why it settles into the phrase take a punishing, for what a boxer or an outplayed team endures.

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