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 horrible
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The five smudge shades are named after punk music culture.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
Hallelujah the Hills have always been a punk band, at least in the 1977 CBGB sense (Patti Smith, Ramones, Talking Heads, Television).
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Adjective
Dammers’s recollection of this time will strike a chord with many people who were there:
For me, reggae made punk gigs bearable.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
The five smudge shades are named after punk music culture.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
Two of the leads hated each other — the British stage actor thought the scruffy newcomer was a snot-nosed punk, and his younger co-star felt the veteran thespian was a drunk with a superiority complex.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
Hallelujah the Hills have always been a punk band, at least in the 1977 CBGB sense (Patti Smith, Ramones, Talking Heads, Television).
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punk
Adjective
-
The use of unilateral sanctions against Special Rapporteurs or any other UN expert or official is unacceptable.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
-
Students, both the ones who behave and the ones who misbehave, need to know that there are real consequences for unacceptable behavior.—
Carrie Lukas,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Too Much follows Megan Stalter as Jessica, a producer who's just been broken up with by her horrible ex-boyfriend.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
11 July 2025
-
Maybe the news reports and images trigger your feelings around a horrible experience at a camp, a personal loss of a child, or even just a loss of feeling safe and in control of the world, said Hurlbert.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Kids get hurt and get sick, like anyone else; every year, a few in the practice battle life-threatening illness, often cancer.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
Mission Viejo raced to the title while playing without wide receiver Vance Spafford (sick), cornerback Jeron Jones (fractured wrist), safeties Sawyer Thomson (knee) and Zachary Foeldi (knee) and wide receiver Max Markofski (hip).—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
This makes these spots good for young anglers and novices as well as those with mobility challenges.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
10 July 2025
-
Two pilots in uniform greeted us and put all of us novice fliers at ease, giving us a rundown about the safety measures between cracking jokes.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
According to reporting from the Clermont Sun, Fike tweeted ‘#thug the new n word’ in April 2015 and ‘Thug life = thug treatment = no pity from me’ in July 2019.—
James Wilkins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 July 2025
-
These scenes evoke images of government thugs in violent regimes disappearing opponents.—
Christy Lopez Guest,
Mercury News,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Wasps are also scavengers, and they can often be found flying around garbage bins looking for their next meal.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
-
Folsom 4th of July garbage schedule For those living in Folsom, trash and waste pickup will continue as scheduled, according to the city’s website.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
Updated July 2,
Sacbee.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
However, according to the Baseball Rules Academy, the umpires got the call wrong.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2025
-
One of the company’s big assumptions about the phone had turned out to be wrong.—
Verne Kopytoff,
Fortune,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Vegas bounced back from a terrible loss to the Fever with an 86-68 win over the Sun on Sunday.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
-
And because of that, it’s shielded us from the terrible things that happen downstream in the supply chain.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punk. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share