punishing
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
extremely difficult and tiring, often because it requires a lot of effort over a long time.
extremely arduous or gruelling; requiring an exhausting amount of physical or mental exertion.
Simple“The athletes had a punishing training schedule before the big race.”
In context“The mountain climbers faced a punishing ascent, battling both the steep terrain and the thinning oxygen levels near the summit.”
UsageOften used to describe schedules, workouts, or workloads.
Teacher's tipRemind students that while 'punish' is about a penalty, 'punishing' usually describes the difficulty of a task rather than a literal punishment.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
very harsh or severe, often causing damage or pain.
inflicting severe pain, damage, or hardship; often used figuratively to describe economic or environmental conditions.
Simple“The farmers struggled to survive during the punishing heat of the summer.”
In context“The small business was unable to withstand the punishing taxes imposed by the new local administration.”
UsageCommonly collocates with weather conditions like 'heat' or 'cold', or economic terms like 'taxes' or 'tariffs'.
“Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday after skirting Hawaii without making landfall, but it wasn’t done punishing the Big Island with hurricane-force gusts.”
“Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm Sunday after skirting Hawaii without making landfall, but it wasn't done punishing the Big Island with hurricane-force gusts.”