punishingpun‧ish‧ing /ˈpʌnɪʃɪŋ/ adjective [usually before noun] 
He set himself a punishing schedule of conferences. a series of punishing defeats a punishing exercise regime
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He set himself a punishing schedule of talks, lectures and conferences all over America.
- the desert's punishing climate
- The transatlantic flight was a punishing task for the plane's old engines.
- Wang has a punishing schedule.
- In Roy Vernon you had one of the best-balanced and most punishing strikers of his day.
- It is a punishing job, and Charles is no easy man to work for.
- It is obvious that the punishing cost of libel actions prevents Francis from making direct accusations against current athletes.
Longman Language Activatorneeding a lot of energy or physical effort
tiring and needing a lot of work, energy, or physical effort: · Let your mother sit down. She's had a hard day at work.· Their car broke down, and they were suddenly faced with a long hard walk back to the nearest town.
needing a lot of physical effort: · The doctors advised against any strenuous activity for six weeks.· Last season his trainers put him through a strenuous running program.
backbreaking work, especially work that involves carrying and lifting heavy things, is extremely hard and needs a lot of physical effort: · After four hours of backbreaking work, we had finally pulled the wall down.
British /grueling American something that is gruelling is extremely tiring because it continues for a long time and you have to use a lot of effort continuously: · The Le Mans 24-hour race is the most gruelling event in the motor-racing calendar.· Before they join the army, young recruits are put through a particularly grueling endurance course.
written work or a journey that is arduous is long and tiring and needs a lot of strength and effort: · In those days, long-distance travel was slow and arduous.· Today, Corbett will continue his arduous climb to the top of the park's highest peak.
extremely difficult in a way that damages or weakens something or makes someone feel very tired: · The transatlantic flight was a punishing task for the plane's old engines.· He set himself a punishing schedule of talks, lectures and conferences all over America.
spoken use this when something is extremely difficult and needs a lot of effort or skill: · Traveling five days a week is murder. I can't do it anymore.it is murder doing something: · It's murder trying to park in this town!
British informal if something is a slog, it takes a lot of time and effort and is often boring: · He didn't become famous overnight -- it's been a long hard slog.· The first half of the book was quite interesting but the last part was a bit of a slog.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He set himself a punishing schedule of conferences.
He set himself a punishing schedule of conferences.WORD FAMILYadjectivepunishablepunishingunpunishedpunitivenounpunishmentverbpunish
difficult, tiring, or extreme: He set himself a punishing schedule of conferences. a series of punishing defeats a punishing exercise regime