punitive damages

plural noun

: damages awarded in excess of compensation to the plaintiff to punish a defendant for a serious wrong

Examples of punitive damages in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for Jacks to cover previous and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent impairment and loss of enjoyment of life. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Oates had accepted responsibility for the crash, and Flores was not seeking punitive damages. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Revoking citizenship, imposing punitive damages, or opening security investigations in response to a documentary does not meet that test. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026

Jurors are not being asked to decide whether Oates, who has taken responsibility for the crash, should be held liable, and they will be barred from assessing punitive damages against the developer. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

punitive damages

see also:

damage sense 2