penal

adjective

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pe·nal | \ ˈpē-nᵊl

Definition of penal

1 : of, relating to, or involving punishment, penalties, or punitive institutions

2 : liable to punishment a penal offense

3 : used as a place of confinement and punishment a penal colony

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Examples of penal in a Sentence

Australia was once a penal colony.

Recent Examples on the Web Jared Ordonez, 25, of Metairie, was booked on charges of malfeasance in office, conspiracy to introduce contraband into a penal facility and child desertion, said Capt. — Michelle Hunter, nola.com, "JPSO guard arrested, accused in scheme to smuggle phone into jail," 27 June 2019 Russell Goldsmith, 64, of Westfield pleaded no contest to abuse of a penal facility resident and misconduct in public office, both felonies. — Jesse Garza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Death of inmate at Columbia Correctional is under investigation," 10 Dec. 2019 Upon completion of the investigation, the Pueblo Diocese requested that the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith begin a penal process, which is pending. — Jessica Seaman, The Denver Post, "Colorado Catholic Church sexual abuse: Who are the 40 priests named in the report?," 23 Oct. 2019 The return address was IK-11, a penal colony in the Russian town of Bor that is said to be reserved for former law enforcement and intelligence officers convicted of serious crimes. — New York Times, "Germany Says Russia Is Suspected in Berlin Assassination," 4 Dec. 2019 Naama Issachar, a dual U.S.-Israeli national, got what many believe to be a sentencing wildly disproportionate to the crime: seven and a half years in a Russian penal colony. — NBC News, "Suspected hacker's extradition focuses attention on Israeli-American in Russian jail," 11 Nov. 2019 Get our daily newsletter Also released was Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker who had been serving a 20-year sentence in an Arctic penal colony. — The Economist, "Ukraine and Russia exchange prisoners in a modest step towards peace," 7 Sep. 2019 The story is anchored in the history of the penal colonies established by Britain in Australia between 1788 and 1868. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale Delves Into a Harrowing Past," 4 Aug. 2019 But the prosecution is not seeking any penal sentence against the doctor and does not question her good faith. — Washington Post, "Landmark euthanasia trial opens in the Netherlands," 26 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'penal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.