penalize

1 of 2

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

penalization

2 of 2

noun

pe·​nal·​iza·​tion

variants also British penalisation

ˌpēnᵊlə̇ˈzāshən, 

ˌpen-, 

-ᵊlˌīˈ-

plural -s

1

: the act of penalizing

2

: the state of being penalized

Synonyms of penalize

Verb

• punish

Examples of penalize in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Again in a system that cannot see the work and occasionally penalizes its symptoms. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Those laws typically penalize the people who use the tools to make these images, not the makers of the tools themselves. — Marc Levy, Fortune, 30 July 2026

One play after Burns was flagged for being offside, the offense was penalized for a false start. — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 30 July 2026

In some tit for tat, SpaceX is subtly nudging the Federal Communications Commission to penalize rival satellite internet provider Eutelsat OneWeb after the EU adopted rules to preserve satellite spectrum for European companies. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for penalize

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

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