punk 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of punknext
1
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body I've been feeling punk today

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

punk

2 of 2

noun

ˈpəŋk How to pronounce punk (audio)
1
as in novice
a person who is just starting out in a field of activity an impertinent punk who was trying to tell senior colleagues how to do their jobs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang the vigilante was hailed by some as a hero for standing up to the punks who had repeatedly threatened his family

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in garbage
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense claims made by cosmetic companies about their antiaging creams that turned out to be a lot of punk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of punk
Adjective
The Clash’s original line-up soldiered on until 1982, by which time punk rock had mutated into post-punk and new wave. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026 Ross Cullen of the post-punk industrial dance duo Chalk, which was formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, brought a Goth aesthetic to the Lollapalooza stage. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
Noun
Tricky Brooding and enveloping, Tricky’s music combines hip-hop, dub reggae and goth-punk. — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026 Demna imagined a whole universe of people coming to shop, which included the horse girl, the glamourpuss, and the punk prep-school kids. — Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for punk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punk
  1. unacceptable
  2. terrible
  3. sick
  4. novice
  5. thug
  6. garbage
  7. wrong
  8. horrible
Adjective
  • With a team that has a margin of error as small as the Dolphins, these penalties are unacceptable.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Likewise, the underlying crisis of commercially unacceptable risk in the Strait isn’t anywhere close to being resolved.
    — David Faris, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • Platforms prefill a name, email and phone number so a user can submit in one tap without leaving the feed, which is wonderful for a consumer promotion and terrible for a six-figure investment.
    — Jonathan Durante, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Saddled with terrible reviews and negative word-of-mouth, Tom Cruise‘s absurdist dark comedy has cratered at the box office with $8 million in North America and $20 million globally in its first weekend of release.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Compiling and sharing data from large races can also help event organizers assess whether changes like earlier start times or alternate dates help reduce the number of people who get sick or hurt.
    — STAT, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Add a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, a loss, a lawsuit, a sick parent or a partner who travels, and the inventory stops being theoretical.
    — Simbiat Adighije, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of sick
Noun
  • In the latest, The Big Cats Dance Party, a high-profile case falls to a novice sleuth while the agency’s founder is away.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
  • To a novice taster, sipping out of a plastic Mets carafe, the wine smelled like dry grass and very ripe blackberries.
    — Arthur Holland Michel, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of novice
Noun
  • The residents occasionally gather in a disused rec center but the meetings devolve into rants about immigrants, junkies, thugs and vigilantism.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
  • That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.
    — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • If the brain’s plumbing doesn’t work properly, research shows, cellular garbage accumulates, and a cleaner brain may be a healthier one.
    — Richard Sima, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026
  • After the ad went viral on social media, Republican candidate for state school superintendent Sonja Shaw called it creepy, weird garbage.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of garbage
Adjective
  • British police acknowledged applying for the warrants under the wrong statutory provision, the judge said while stipulating that the misconduct investigation against the king's brother could continue.
    — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Doctors in Tennessee and Republican state senators called for the state to pause executions, because the chances of one going catastrophically wrong were so high.
    — Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • Hill is a free agent after a horrible injury suffered last season.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Ashley Flynn’s sister, Kayla Keyt, said during her victim statement that her family could not overcome their sense of shock and despair after learning that Flynn betrayed them in such a violent and horrible way.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrible

Browse Nearby Words

punitive damages
punk
punks
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Cite this Entry

“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punk. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on punk

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about punk

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