From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpunishingpun‧ish‧ing /ˈpʌnɪʃɪŋ/ adjective [usually before noun] DIFFICULTdifficult, tiring, or extreme He set himself a punishing schedule of conferences. a series of punishing defeats a punishing exercise regime
Examples from the Corpus
punishing• the desert's punishing climate• It is obvious that the punishing cost of libel actions prevents Francis from making direct accusations against current athletes.• It is a punishing job, and Charles is no easy man to work for.• He set himself a punishing schedule of talks, lectures and conferences all over America.• Wang has a punishing schedule.• In Roy Vernon you had one of the best-balanced and most punishing strikers of his day.• The transatlantic flight was a punishing task for the plane's old engines.punishing schedule• Earlier this summer Julia said that she felt shattered by the show's punishing schedule.• Responsibility for the conduct of the affairs of Amnesty International, in the words of the Statute, involves a punishing schedule.• A punishing schedule that has left the engine spluttering and the chief mechanic unable to furnish suitable replacement parts.• He must have been physically fit to survive the punishing schedule to which he submitted himself. 