as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
Australia was once a penal colony
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Recent Examples of penal
Joshua Anderson, who worked at Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City until February 2024, was indicted in September on charges of bringing contraband into a penal facility, official misconduct and bribery of a public servant.
—
Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 10 Aug. 2025
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
Iran’s Islamic Republic government likely will block it because, aside from Panahi’s outspoken stance against its stranglehold on democracy that has landed him in prison twice, the film is highly critical of Iran’s penal system on the back of the director’s own firsthand experiences.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for penal
Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 10 Aug. 2025
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
Iran’s Islamic Republic government likely will block it because, aside from Panahi’s outspoken stance against its stranglehold on democracy that has landed him in prison twice, the film is highly critical of Iran’s penal system on the back of the director’s own firsthand experiences.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for penal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penal
Adjective
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Professional development for teachers focuses on positive, rather than punitive, behavioral and engagement practices.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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As a result, some districts are taking a punitive approach to chronic absenteeism.—
Eli Cahan,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Attica by the numbers At the time of the uprising, the rural prison had an all-white correctional staff tending to 2,234 inmates, with Black prisoners making up more than half the prison population.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
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Salvation Army is known for its willingness to help nearly anyone, with its adult recovery programs often taking people from the streets or the correctional system.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penal. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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