as in correctional
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
any misbehavior was immediately met with a punitive response the company had to pay a million dollars in punitive damages
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Recent Examples of punitive
One country, Brazil, is now subject to more punitive measures in the form of a 50% tariff that Trump pegged to coup charges brought against former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally.
—
Steve Kopack, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2025
Despite being a protective measure, the experience is often indistinguishable from punitive isolation.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated that Russia has ten days to agree to a ceasefire or face tariffs and other punitive measures.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
America must avoid overreliance on renewables by sidelining other energy sources through punitive lawsuits.
—Albert R. Wynn, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Steve Kopack, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2025
Despite being a protective measure, the experience is often indistinguishable from punitive isolation.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated that Russia has ten days to agree to a ceasefire or face tariffs and other punitive measures.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
America must avoid overreliance on renewables by sidelining other energy sources through punitive lawsuits.
—Albert R. Wynn, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punitive
Adjective
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To bring in more workers, the colony’s leaders then requested a conversion to penal status, like others that had been established on the continent since the 1780s.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Aug. 2025
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The assignment to a penal detachment is arguably a death sentence, however, as Russia's military has routinely used ex-convict forces to conduct near-suicidal missions in the war against Ukraine, leading to high casualty rates.—
Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Early warning signs like declining revenues, missed payments or management turnover should trigger timely outreach and corrective action.—
Adam Craig,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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In 2018, a female employee complained that the male head chef locked her in a restroom and touched her inappropriately without her consent, but the owners failed to take appropriate corrective action to prevent further harassment by the head chef, records state.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punitive. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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