Meaning & use
banishment
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Meanings
noununcountable
The punishment of being forced to leave a country or place and never return.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the act or state: 'sentenced to banishment'. A countable use 'a banishment' is rare and means one instance.
Patterns
- banishment from a place
- sentence someone to banishment
- go into banishment
The king ordered the banishment of all political opponents.
After the revolution, many nobles faced banishment from the country.
He lived in banishment for ten years before being allowed to return.
noununcountablefigurative
The act of making someone or something go away or stop being used, often informally.
Grammar: Often used figuratively: the banishment of an idea, a feeling, or a practice.
Patterns
- banishment of something
- the banishment of a feeling
The new policy led to the banishment of single-use plastics from the office.
Her banishment of negative thoughts helped her stay focused.
The banishment of the old rule was welcomed by everyone.
Common combinations
- permanent banishment
- The court imposed permanent banishment on the traitor.
- face banishment
- Anyone who criticized the ruler could face banishment.
- banishment from the country
- His banishment from the country was widely reported.
- live in banishment
- The writer lived in banishment for many years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- exile
- Exile can mean the punishment or the state of being away, and it often suggests a longer, more political removal; banishment focuses on the act of forcing someone out.
- deportation
- Deportation is the official removal of a foreign person from a country, usually under immigration law; banishment is broader and can be historical or figurative.
- expulsion
- Expulsion means being forced out of an organization or school, not necessarily a whole country; banishment often implies a place or country.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: banishment or abandonment?
banishment vs abandonment
Abandonment means leaving someone or something behind without help; banishment is a forced removal as a punishment.
Practice
The rebel leader was sentenced to ______ from the kingdom.
Choose one answer.
After the preposition 'to' and the verb 'sentenced', we need a noun: 'banishment'. 'Banish' is a verb, 'banished' is past tense or adjective, and 'banishing' is a gerund that would not fit the fixed phrase 'sentenced to banishment'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “banishment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.