penal

adjective

pe·​nal ˈpē-nᵊl How to pronounce penal (audio)
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
penally adverb

Did you know?

A state or country's penal code defines its crimes and describes its punishments. During the 18th and 19th centuries, many countries established penal colonies, where criminals were sent as punishment. Often these were unbearably severe; but it was to such colonies that some of Australia's and the United States' early white inhabitants came, and the convicts provided labor for the European settlement of these lands.

Examples of penal in a Sentence

Australia was once a penal colony.
Recent Examples on the Web Jan-Carl Janssen wrote his thesis on the penal system in England, Wales and Scotland, and in court cited his research on issues such as chronic overcrowding, staff shortages and violence among inmates. Kate Brady, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023 Ecuador has named its sixth prisons chief in less than two years after a month of intense violence in the country’s penal system. Peter Aitken, Fox News, 10 Aug. 2023 The special regime prison colony, the harshest in Russia’s penal system, keeps prisoners in cells with the lights constantly on, barred from speaking. Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2023 In November, a coalition of California nonprofit organizations launched The Thriving Transitions campaign, which seeks to raise awareness about the effects of food insecurity on women exiting the penal system. Selene Rivera, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023 Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor under New York penal law. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2023 That appeared to be enough for jurors to conclude that the scheme met New York penal law requirements for finding corporations guilty of a crime. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2023 That is a relatively new statute in our penal law that was enacted within the past ten years. Greg Norman, Fox News, 28 Nov. 2022 In addition to those the Italian fascists built in Libya, Vichy France and Nazi Germany ran penal camps, detention camps and labor camps. Aomar Boum, The Conversation, 15 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin poenalis, from poena punishment — more at pain entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of penal was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near penal

Cite this Entry

“Penal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penal. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

penal

adjective
pe·​nal ˈpēn-ᵊl How to pronounce penal (audio)
: of or relating to punishment
penal laws
a penal colony

Legal Definition

penal

adjective
pe·​nal ˈpēn-ᵊl How to pronounce penal (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or being punishment
penal sanctions
2
: making one (as an offender) punishable
a penal offense
3
: used as a place of confinement and punishment
a penal institution

More from Merriam-Webster on penal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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