PUNKS Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

punks

noun

plural of punk

as in novices

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

as in thugs

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

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 punks The passing of 30 years has only enhanced the appeal of the group’s Nashville detour, shifting attention from the incongruity of Ween cutting a country record to the joyous chemistry between these old pros and young punks. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 1 Aug. 2026 Photo by Barry Brecheisen Swedish post punks Viagra Boys helped close out night one of Lollapalooza 2026 during a one hour set adjacent to the Art Institute of Chicago on the Airbnb stage. — Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Man oh man, did the Argentinians spoil their World Cup run by acting like punks last Sunday. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026 This dogmatic approach to revolutionary citizenship led to the horrible treatment of any perceived as nonconformist, such as LGBTQ people, hippies or punks. — Juan Carlos Albarran, The Conversation, 13 July 2026 People don’t think of themselves as Jewish punks at this time. — Siran Babayan, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026 Theater is not for punks, okay? — Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 13 May 2026 Music zines often had the same format, columns from semi-famous punks, interviews with up-and-coming bands, record reviews, and, always shunted to the back, zine reviews. — Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026 And everyone else was private school punks. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punks

Noun

Studies of customer service representatives using AI assistance found that novices gained most from AI coaching suggestions, but critically, those learning effects transferred beyond specific situations.

— ByJonathan H. Westover, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Knowledgeable bartenders guide novices and obsessives alike, making an overwhelming list feel approachable rather than intimidating.

— USA TODAY NETWORK, USA Today, 29 July 2026

Definition of novices

Noun

The activity's simplicity means beginners can start light and progress gradually, even using household items for weight.

— Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Ryerson said the terrain itself can be as critical as instruction in helping beginners progress.

— David Caraccio Updated July 31, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of beginners

Noun

That gives criminals several ways to target you, even when your Paidwork balance was nearly empty.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Cyber criminals are using highly convincing counterfeit audio, video, and identity fabrications as tools in ways that conventional detection methods will fail to identify.

— Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

City Colleges recently launched Chicago Moonshot, an apprenticeship initiative associated with the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park, where the district has committed to graduating hundreds of IT apprentices over the next five years.

— Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
There are currently 17 apprentices at the Winter Park facility.

— Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of apprentices

Noun

Badly in Love manages to break through because the cast of men and women looking for true love are from the Japanese yankii subculture—juvenile delinquents, motorcycle gangsters, troubled women, and more.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026
Remember all those fake memoirs from the early 2000s, by all those writers pretending to be addicts and gangsters and Holocaust survivors?

— James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Definition of gangsters

Noun

That changed during Family Night, when Green Bay had some of its younger players and newcomers do live tackling for approximately 10 plays late in practice.

— Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
O’Neal joins newcomers Tony Danza, Talia Shire, Dominic Chianese, and Vincent Curatola, joining returning stars William DeMeo, Chazz Palminteri, Armand Assante, Pastore, Mario Cantone, Tony Darrow, and Chuck Zito.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of newcomers

Noun

Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
The area was wild and uninhabited, but the bandits moved through it with practiced ease.

— Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of bandits

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“Punks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punks. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of punks

noun

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