What is the meaning of punishing?

verb

• Impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on.
  • usage: "The students were penalized for showing up late for class"; "we had to punish the dog for soiling the floor again"
  • synonyms: punish, penalize, penalise

adjective

• Resulting in punishment.
  • usage: "the king imposed a punishing tax"
• Characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort.
  • usage: "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