punitive
adjective
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Punitive and the Law
Punitive is an important word in the law. When you sue a person or company for having wronged you in some way, you normally ask for something of value equal to what you were deprived of by the other party. But when the defendant has done something particularly bad, you may also ask for punitive damages, money over and above the actual cost of the harm done, intended to teach the defendant a lesson. Punitive damages are fairly rare, but when they're actually granted they may be as much as four times the size of the basic damages.
Examples of punitive in a Sentence
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026
The Heat will have the wherewithal to add two players at the NBA veteran minimum and still remain below the punitive NBA luxury tax, from what should be a robust market of available players, with several involved in deadline deals already in the process of being waived.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
Since then, China has emerged as an economic lifeline for Russia by stepping up trade with its northern neighbour while Western powers piled punitive sanctions on Moscow.
—Reuters, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
In another exchange from December 2009, Epstein and Mandelson discussed Britain’s plans to impose an additional tax on bankers’ bonuses as a punitive, one-off measure following the crash.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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punitive
adjective
Legal Definition
punitive
adjective
