as in prison
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
a sentence in the state penitentiary for robbery
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Recent Examples of penitentiary
In the early 1970s, the penitentiary remained poorly funded, and prison officials hoped to make money on the rodeo.
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Arkansas Online,
9 May 2026
Local flavor The Idaho Botanical Garden is located next to the penitentiary and boasts more than 30 acres of gardens.
—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
The government opened the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz in 1934, hoping to use the remote island to house particularly difficult prisoners, according to the National Park Service.
—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
The former president was hospitalized on March 13 after feeling ill at the Papuda penitentiary in the Brazilian capital.
—
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Arkansas Online,
9 May 2026
Local flavor The Idaho Botanical Garden is located next to the penitentiary and boasts more than 30 acres of gardens.
—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
The government opened the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz in 1934, hoping to use the remote island to house particularly difficult prisoners, according to the National Park Service.
—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
The former president was hospitalized on March 13 after feeling ill at the Papuda penitentiary in the Brazilian capital.
—
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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If convicted as charged, Wilburn faces up to 14 years in prison, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told CNN.
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Pope was a lieutenant in the Special Investigative Service (SIS) unit at the prison at the time of the offenses.
Noun
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To get there, Sodais climbed mountains in the snow, moved from border to border with the help of smugglers, got captured a dozen times and spent time in jail.
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Ábalos, who spent seven months in jail before his trial in April, is accused of taking kickbacks from the purchase of $60 million-worth of facemasks during the Covid pandemic.
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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