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

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Relevance

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

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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

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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
Geese did something similar with last year’s Getting Killed, their own neutron star of an album, gobbling up the tangled lineages of rock, punk, and drone music in New York City with the ravenous appetites of kids weaned on the infinite scroll. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026 At the forefront is Kathleen Hanna, the feminist punk pioneer and celebrated Bikini Kill frontwoman, as well as acts like Bratmobile. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 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
  • And then none of it mattered because his special teams bailed him out with a big kick return (thanks to a terrible decision by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to even allow a kick return in the first place) followed by a walk-off field goal.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The story follows the transformation of Adriana (Colin), a woman shattered by a terrible murder and who discovers the strength to start over, driven by an unquenchable thirst for justice.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Along with missing guard Dru Smith (right calf strain) and two-way contract forward Keshad Johnson (right hamstring strain) for the second straight exhibition game, the Heat was also without guard Pelle Larsson (sick) on Thursday.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Two types of influenza — A and B — are responsible for the seasonal flu epidemics that make people sick, according to the California Department of Public Health.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of sick
Noun
  • To capture some of that essence, Guitar Center is trying to make its stores a place to hang out for novices and pros alike.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Despite the identically horrible records, these teams are in different places.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In all, the Dodgers drowned out that horrible tomahawk chop with some mighty hacks of their own, winning 3-1 while finally displaying some of the desperation that had been missing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on punk

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about punk

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