English adjective: punishing | |||
1. | punishing resulting in punishment | ||
Samples | The king imposed a punishing tax. | ||
2. | punishing characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort | ||
Samples | Worked their arduous way up the mining valley. A grueling campaign. Hard labor. Heavy work. Heavy going. Spent many laborious hours on the project. Set a punishing pace. | ||
Synonyms | arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, operose, toilsome | ||
Similar | effortful | ||
Antonyms | effortless | ||