penalize

verb

pe·​nal·​ize ˈpē-nə-ˌlīz  ˈpe- 

penalized; penalizing

transitive verb

1

: to inflict a penalty on

2

: to put at a serious disadvantage

penalization

ˈpē-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Synonyms of penalize

• punish

Examples of penalize in a Sentence

The company was penalized for not paying taxes.

The hockey player was penalized for holding.

This law would unfairly penalize immigrants.

Recent Examples on the Web

More than 80 percent of Longchamp’s suppliers are rated via EcoVadis, and procurement teams work with lower-performing partners to drive improvements, rather than simply penalizing them. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Feb. 2026

By taxing those inputs, the policy effectively penalizes domestic production. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026

And if [Radko] Gudas was penalized, then Doughty should have been too for the hit on Pasta. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Several policy priorities followed from Miller’s long-standing fixations, such as denying immigrants work authorization while their legal cases were pending and penalizing applicants who used public benefits. —Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for penalize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

penalize

verb

pe·​nal·​ize ˈpēn-ᵊl-ˌīz  ˈpen- 

penalized; penalizing

1

: to give a penalty to

2

: to place at a disadvantage